Forum Discussion
- AnonymousSims 4's "alternate timeline" is unpopular among the fanbase. My theory is that Sims team is now aware of the importance of lore and will provide greater care to this 20+ year old franchise.
Sims Community has reported that the next-gen Sims game will likely have more narrative elements via job listings.Responsibilities
Guide the delivery of the following:- Define and maintain the narrative vision of the project.
- Explore new ways to bring characters to life and create emotional experiences in a non-linear simulation experience.
- Work with multiple disciplines to direct and implement the characters, settings, goals, and conflicts from drafts in game.
- Work with the tools team to improve workflow and processes.
- Create design documentation to support prototyping efforts.
- Partner with Development Directors to track tasks, identify risk, and clarify changes in work.
- Partner with UX to design, research, and implement features, particularly for introducing narrative elements and decisions.
- Aid team leadership in gathering presentation materials.
- Playtest, attend UXR sessions, and participate in organizing feedback/insights.
- Document findings for future use in Sims development.
Qualifications- Significant Narrative Game Genre design experience, especially in the area of creating the production pipeline to integrate story with the gameplay.
- Significant experience writing fictional stories, ideally interactive experiences.
- Capability to lead cross-discipline prototyping and idea iteration, actively participating in the development of a feature from start to finish.
- Experience with young adult fiction, pop-culture stories, in particular romantic narratives.
- Hands-on implementation for an interactive experience or mod.
- Excited by and helping define new business and distribution models like live services through the lens of narrative elements.
- Knowledge of popular interactive story machinima or mod communities a plus (ex: The Sims, Episode, Grand Theft Auto Online).
- Excellent communication and presentation skills required.
Personally, I don't think there is a need to rewrite fundamental characteristics, relationships, and timelines. Continue the history and build on the foundation.
Sims 3 added a backstory to the events of Sims 1 and 2. Now for the future.
Forum user @IVXXXVI wrote:I really wish they continue the lore and mysteries from Sims 2. I think it would be really interesting to see for example Bella and Mortimer's grandchildren or Lilith Pleasant with Dirk Dreamer have a family together in the new game.
They could also mix it up meaning that they could also make descendants of returning families who were on TS3 or even TS4. :D
I agree. The Narrative Designers working on Project Rene have a lot of source material documented on the Sims Wiki for their research. - Define and maintain the narrative vision of the project.
- Horrorgirl6Seasoned VeteranI would love if they continued the timeline.
- I would personally like for them to continue the timeline while merging in elements of TS4’s lore, that way it doesn’t brush TS4 off to the side and pretend it never happened. I’m not a fan of the “TS4 is a separate timeline“ so I look for any angle to connect it with the previous games, even if it contradicts a few things haha.
- Game lore is the one feature that doesn't interest me at all. I've always deleted the majority of the game created characters while keeping a few just to have some sims in the background as friends/coworkers/schoolmates for my created sims.
I've played one Maxis sim and that was Agnes Crumplebotton for a Sims 3 story challenge.
The narrative features sound interesting but only as they pertain to my created sims. - I started with The Sims. Which reminds me I did play with Bob and Betty Newbie to learn how to play the game.
I've played them all. Loved them all. Still have them all. Really want to find time one day to get back to Sims 2 and 3. I left so much undone. - logionXSeasoned HotshotI remember that job listing, I wondered back then if they were looking into creating more stories with recognizable sims that people remember. A lot of sims that we have seen in previous games are often remembered for their backstories and events that have happened to them, Bella Goth for example.
I think having more events that give more world building and background to the characters in the world that you are playing is a good thing. Personally I don't like sims who doesn't have a good back story, they are not interesting and I have a hard time making up my own stories.
This should also not be limited by the design of the game, like with the recent Expansion Pack High School Years where Molly was the Principal's Daughter for the High School in that world but the player could not play them at all because that resulted in the Principal getting replaced and the back story was gone.
For Project Rene, I think they should find a way to include the back stories and events from the old games but also have new stories that new players that are not familiar with can also experience. They should probably have a mix of "legacy" sims from the old games and their back stories, some sims from The Sims 4 like the Pancakes family with maybe some hints of what happened to them and also some new sims that showcases what's new in this generation of sims.
And one thing that I listed as a feature that I would like to see in the next sims game are events that the player can choose to partake in or not, in these events we could see interactions between these characters, similar to the stories that they showcased when making their promotional trailers. This would allow the player to interact with the story, getting to know these characters and maybe also shape it their way by having the game allowing different outcomes. - Chicklet45368Rising TravelerI am just like @simgirl1010, lore is not something that I personally need or have ever paid attenttion to. I don't care for some pre-defined story when I'm playing, I already have in my head what my story will be and based upon that I create/direct it it accordingly.
Besides Bob & Betty, I haven't ever "played" any premades in any of the games (I started with TS and have played them all). Actually all of the premades in my current save are bye-bye and replaced with my own sims. Usually I'll let a few premades live in my world as background filler, but this save I evicted them all out of their houses. - g01denswanSeasoned ObserverI too have been playing since The Sims and have never played any pre-made character except for the Newbies. I would rather they spend the money on more interactions and animations instead of on things that are of no use to me.
- I would like the next Sims iteration to continue from Sims 2, as Sims 3 was set in the past.
An updated Pleasantview map would be epic! Maybe some of the other towns from Sims 2 and the ability to make your own worlds and lore.
For the Goth house I would love to be able to see Bella be kidnapped by alien and go from there.
I do wonder whether the Sims themselves will be made more realistic or go comic book style. ???♂️ - g01denswanSeasoned Observer
"simmerorigin;c-18197736" wrote:
"g01denswan;c-18197724" wrote:
I too have been playing since The Sims and have never played any pre-made character except for the Newbies. I would rather they spend the money on more interactions and animations instead of on things that are of no use to me.
I think the Narrative Designer will be working by themself in designing the lore independently of the animators and software engineers.
The money still comes out of The Sims budget, and I would like it to be spent on things we can’t do ourselves. We’ll be able to create our own sims, or download sims that other simmers create.
About The Sims Franchise Discussion
Discuss The Sims Medieval, the original The Sims, and speculate on the future of the franchise, including Project Rene.
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