80's Stuff Pack (***Concept Art*** Renders) UPDATED 1/23/2020
Hi everyone! Since I am obsessed with the 1980's I wanted to create an 80's themed stuff pack concept! I will be creating several different renders of different clothing styles and different objects that will be used in the pack. Feel free to give me ideas and feedback. I hope you like it! :) <3 (P.s. I was born in the 97. If I get anything wrong about the era sorry but I tried really hard.) Concept Art NO DOWNLOAD I am not a content creator, I tried to make this but I just couldn't figure it out... Arcade Girl https://78.media.tumblr.com/ffa7dd9efc4197d2c5fe26595802c056/tumblr_ozfamsYfhF1tcw5z8o1_540.png Madonna Fan https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DOpX_OJVwAAs2bP.jpg:large Popular Boy https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DOubXMoUQAAYUM4.jpg:large Pack Cover Art https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DOukgc3VwAAxMVj.jpg:large https://78.media.tumblr.com/f55358d4ba7f446e10a5445ab1ab3f4e/tumblr_p0ietvIDzd1tcw5z8o1_1280.png https://78.media.tumblr.com/19b0722b7339138cdffaf4dac59b27b6/tumblr_p6zit7HRic1tcw5z8o1_1280.png https://78.media.tumblr.com/7fde822aa73f30fce52988de58288cea/tumblr_p6zit7HRic1tcw5z8o2_1280.png https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DwpM-TqV4AEtZmA.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DwkRI9_VYAACmJT.jpg:large https://66.media.tumblr.com/0711fcc1544b0431ba07ee81cda4256d/tumblr_pncuz39Ox01tcw5z8o1_r3_1280.png https://66.media.tumblr.com/c2e2c14574e68f0968ae8902c1d0f680/tumblr_pncuz39Ox01tcw5z8o2_r3_1280.png https://66.media.tumblr.com/1d509729dc61eeb5cdb303aad2a716b9/tumblr_psnf1xxtVJ1tcw5z8o1_1280.png NEW https://66.media.tumblr.com/2d5fb1e60acf61e18b56bd93f1c8a63a/20506192f3a2fc34-ea/s1280x1920/75907f82fe0920f1976cfd5ada7759f6abf5246a.png
Stuff Pack object vote results!
A big thank you to everyone who participated in our recent vote, where you helped select the objects and clothing you want to see in our collaborative Stuff Pack project! In the time since the voting ended, we've parsed the data, finalized the selections, and gone through an informal internal approval process. This process is part of what was discussed in the survey blog, where I spoke about how we want to ensure we're respecting the communities decisions, as well as offering a balanced pack. Today I'm sharing the results of the objects portion of the survey. If you're interested in which pieces of clothing won, check the forums again in the coming days for a full breakdown of the clothing voting results. For now, we've locked down the object list, and our artists are hard at work on the next step - creating object guides. If you want to learn more about what an object guide is, and how our team works during this part of the project, then click here for a development update where you'll discover more about how we make The Sims. If you're just stopping by to see the winning objects though, then let's get right to it. From 68 pieces of object concept art, your votes helped narrow them down to the top 28* pieces you see below. We did end up making a few adjustments to the final list, so as to provide a balanced offering of different objects within the pack. For example... there were two styles of the wicker loveseat, and wicker living chair that were available to vote on. All of them received enough votes to propel them into the top of the survey, but we felt they didn't offer enough visual variety to include all four of them. We kept the top two, and replaced the other two with different objects that just missed the original cut. That bare light bulb that people have been chatting about actually placed number 30 on the list, but by diversifying the selections, we were able to include it! *Bonus! We're actually including 29 total objects. One of our internal object modelers had a little spare time in his schedule, and went ahead and created the ottoman prior to the vote. ;) These are the objects that will be included in this upcoming Stuff Pack:
Paranormal Stuff Pack Dev Blog Part 2
Welcome back to another dev blog about our latest Stuff Pack! This week let's talk about the Seance Table, Paranormal Investigator Career, and an interview with our Art Director! So let's just get right into it! Thanks Doctor Ashely for this horrifying scene. Seances for Everyone! The Seance Table is here! Talk to ghosts! Scare your friends! Summon the unexpected! This thing is capable of all sorts of spiritual meddling, and functions on any lot! Your Seance Table can be decorated too! It's a table surface, so feel free to put a Crystal Ball on top, or maybe a Sacred Candle? Slot any chair you want too! When you use a Seance Table you’ll develop your Medium Skill, unlocking new Seances, the ability to host Group Seances, and the ability to draw chalk Seance Circles anywhere in the world! And if you’re a Spellcaster Sim, you’ll gain skill much faster due to your familiarity with the mystical arts. This skill and the Seance Table are available for Children and older too! One of the main purposes of the Seance Table is to perform a ceremony that strengthens the spiritual serenity of the house, making it a little less creepy. However, if the Seance is interrupted for any reason, it might have the adverse effect, so make sure your Sims are protected (Hint: Sacred Candles!). Seance Circles for the Medium on-the-go. Other Seances include the ability to commune with the dearly departed. Hopefully, they'll offer some sagely wisdom, or perhaps they’ll just insult you. Who knows? Great for parties. Or if you’re really looking to stir up some trouble, you can also invoke spirits from the Seance Table too. Kind of like a ghostly grab bag, just reach in and pull out something deceased. A great way to spice up any lot, or completely ruin it. Honestly, this Seance isn’t entirely recommended, but since when has that stopped anyone? Bonehilda! Bonehilda is back! She'll clean, fix your electronics, garden, fight fires, lay out snacks, and more! Summon her on the Seance Table or Seance Circle whenever or wherever you need her! She’ll also be your buddy! As long as your Sims don’t mind being around a fully sentient skeleton that is, but I hear they’re pretty open-minded. Bonehilda won't ask for anything in return either, she’s just here to have a good time. Summoning Bonehilda is extremely useful while living in a Haunted House, she can help take care of the place while your Sims are preoccupied with other pressing matters. Bonehilda also has a great protective instinct, and will swiftly and enthusiastically show harmful Ghosts the door (with her fists of course). Paranormal Investigators Wanted The last feature I’d love to talk about is the Paranormal Investigator Freelance Career. This career is kinda special, and only available for elite Sims with a Paranormal Investigator License. Sims can get the License by becoming a master Medium and becoming certified by Guidry, or by purchasing one in the Reward Store. A properly certified Paranormal Investigator. This career is aimed for Sims who have mastered the paranormal and will have to use everything they’ve learned while living in a Haunted House to their advantage. The gigs for this career are pretty straightforward. You’ll be sent 3 gigs to choose from, either an Easy, Normal, and Hard Investigation. Once you select your preferred difficulty, you’ll be instructed at 9:30 pm to go out on an investigation to an undisclosed location. Where will the investigation take you? Anywhere! (Well any residence at least!) Sometimes the Pankcakes will have a bit of a Specter infestation, sometimes Goth manor will need an exorcist. It's your job as a Paranormal Investigator to go wherever the action is, and snuff out any unwanted spirits. It ain't much, but it's honest work. You also won't just be sent to premade Sim houses, but also your own created households! Your other played Sim families might be in need of a spooky exterminator too! And don’t worry, the house won't be permanently haunted either (You’ll have control over that with the Haunted Lot Type!). Finishing these gigs on time leads to all sorts of weird and strange rewards. Feel free to hang up your Specter-in-a-Jar as a trophy. Or amass a collection of exorcised dolls! There’s tons of strange stuff to acquire! Name them too! Since this is a freelance career, feel free to take these gigs whenever you feel inspired to snuff out some spookiness. These gigs can be demanding on your Sims psyche, but thankfully they pay fairly well. Art Direction This pack has a ton of both fictional and real-life inspiration. To go over where these influences come from, and how they manifest in-game, I’ll take it over to our Art Director Stephan Edwards! Conor: Can you tell us what an Art Director does on The Sims 4? Stephen: The AD works initially with Production, Design and Marketing to define the visual direction. Once we have moved into production their role is to maintain and inspire that vision by providing direction and feedback to artists, from concept through to the final asset. Conor: What goes into the creative process when concepting for the Sims? Stephen: Once the general theme and tone is locked down and approved, the team then refers to the key visuals and goes broad on gathering reference that reflects that direction. We begin on concepting out room views/clothing to investigate different narratives and moods, identifying elements of style, construction, pattern and color. At this stage, we are still working loose to make sure we explore all options and don't box ourselves in. As the team iterates on designs, we start to narrow down the selections and then turn to final renders. We draw on those early investigations to help inform our palette, material and pattern choices. Conor: What sort of real-life examples were used for the Paranormal Stuff Pack? Stephen: Reference gathering is a huge factor in designing assets and so it's fair to say that all the content is based on real life to some degree. The team tends to deconstruct styles and translate them through a SIMS lens, the simplified and stylised art of SIMS4 has a further impact on the final result. Conor: If you had to choose, what was your favorite feature to work on across all of the Sims? Stephen: Aaarg! That's a really tough question. Because the packs are so diverse each one has its own set of unique challenges. I would say the supernatural aspect of this stuff pack was a lot of fun and allowed the artists to get a little more fantastical and creative. Storytelling is such a fundamental part of the SIMS and that permeates through CAS and BB designs. While curating all the eclectic pieces we stuffed into this pack I was constantly making up little stories in my mind. Where the characters may have found it, what relevance does it have to them and ultimately is there enough depth in the design to spark the same questions in the players. Oh, and Guidry, he’s a composite of eras and characters. I would be really interested whether the players can pick apart the influences. Thank you! That about concludes our look at our latest Stuff Pack! Big thank you again to the SP18 team, working with everyone was an amazing experience and made the later part of 2020 a little less awful. Watching this pack come to life was an absolute thrill. The prepatch including the new Scared Emotion is coming out January 21st, and the Paranormal Stuff Pack comes out January 26th! Until next time, SimGuruConorThe Sims 4 My First Pet Stuff - A Stuff Pack filled with Fur
Simmers, do your Sims love their pets? Do said pets add sunshine and rainbows and scratched furniture to your Sims’ lives? Do you want to add to their lives, too? Are you tired of reading all these questions? Of course you are! Let’s cut to the chase: The Sims(TM) 4 My First Pet Stuff* pack is coming soon, and it’s all about – you guessed it – pet stuff. https://media.contentapi.ea.com/content/dam/eacom/SIMS/images/2018/03/ts4-sp14-official-screens-01-002-4k.jpg.adapt.crop16x9.1455w.jpg Your Sims will now be able to dress their cats and dogs in fresh outfits. Yes, it’s happening, people. Pet costumes are in the building. Your furry besties can now strut in style! Now that’s what we call a catwalk. But wait, there’s so much more! Keep reading here the full blog and watch the trailer below. Available March 13th! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_uRr36nQG0 Share your thoughts and first impressions :)Welcome! Project info, survey winners, & helpful links.
Hey everyone, and welcome to our corner of the forums. This is something we've never tried before - a collaborative project between Maxis and Sims players where we can be completely transparent about our development process, and ultimately build a new Stuff Pack for The Sims 4 together! If you're just now discovering this project, I'd encourage you to read the blog where we unveiled this project and discussed how you'll be able to influence its development. While this project is well under way, there are still many ways for you to contribute... First, you'll see a number of helpful links to blogs and discussions that have helped shape this pack's development to reach where we are now. Following the links, you'll find the dates that each survey will be conducted on, where you can come back and directly vote on how development should proceed. Finally, you'll find a welcome message that outlines what we're doing here on the forums and how you can participate. Thanks for being here - this project couldn't happen without your support and input! :) Official Blogs Your vote counts! Help us create a new Stuff Pack for The Sims 4 • An introductory blog where we discussed the vision for this project and how it will work, and commenced voting to select the Stuff Pack's overall theme. You Chose the Eco Living Theme! Now Pick an Art Style • In this blog, we presented two distinct art styles that could fit within an eco living theme, and discussed how our art director typically helps in making this choice. Help Us Pick Objects and Clothing For a New Stuff Pack • This blog helped kick off the most in-depth survey yet, where players helped select 28 objects and 14 pieces of clothing. It discusses the thought process that those of us at Maxis follow to narrow down choices when we're planning a new Sims pack. Help Us Pick Gameplay Features For A New Stuff Pack! • This blog introduced a very important vote, giving players the opportunity to read through proposed design blurbs, and vote for their favorite group of features. Options included Laundry, Off the Grid, Food Preserves, and Carbon Conscious. It also showed off our initial design brainstorm for this pack, and discussed the process of how we select features to include in Stuff Packs. Help Us Choose A Title For Our Community Stuff Pack! • This blog discusses the process we go through when selecting the name for a pack, as well as sharing an important development update as the pack moves from pre-production into full production. Your Vote Counts! The Sims 4 Laundry Day Stuff Pack Icon • This blog discusses how we develop the official icons for Sims packs, and reveals some of the concept icons for packs that didn't make it to the final product. There's also a first look at a prototype of laundry gameplay running in-game for the first time! Survey Results Eco living is the winning theme! • Results from the first survey, where players selected the overall theme of this Stuff Pack. "Style B" has won the art style vote! • Results from the second survey, revealing the winning art style which we'll use to inform the look of all the objects and clothing in this Stuff Pack. Stuff Pack object vote results! • Results from the third survey, revealing the 29 objects which will be included in this Stuff Pack. Stuff Pack clothing vote results! • Results from the third survey, revealing the 17 pieces of clothing which will be included in this Stuff Pack. Stuff Pack gameplay feature vote results! • Results from the fourth survey, where players selected the interactive gameplay features that will be included in this Stuff Pack. Stuff Pack name & icon vote results! • Results from the fifth and sixth surveys, where the community helped select the official pack name and icon. Development Updates June 4th dev update - learn about object creation • Learn all about the development process objects go through to get from concept art drawings, to the final in-game object. SimGuru Forum Posts So what happens to those themes that didn't win... ? • A candid discussion about the themes from the first vote that didn't win, and what their future is in The Sims. References for Concept Artists • A concept artist from The Sims 4 asks the community for reference images that help express their vision for what an eco living theme should look like. Voting Dates • Theme Vote (April 3rd - April 6th): Select the overall theme for the pack. Every part of the pack will be influenced by this key decision. • Art Style Vote (April 10th – April 12th): Select between proposed art styles for the pack, which will guide our concept artists in the objects and clothing they create. • Objects & Clothing Vote (May 18th – May 21st): Browse through the concept art we’ve drawn for the pack, and select your top choices to help us determine which objects and pieces of clothing are included. • Feature Vote (June 23rd – June 26th): Select the top gameplay feature(s) you want to have included in the pack. • Pack Title Vote (September 6th – September 8th): Select a title that best summarizes the pack's atmosphere and content. • Pack Icon Vote (September 13th– September 15th): Peruse different icons and select the one that will appear in the pack's box art and within the in-game catalog. You made it through the links! Thanks for sticking with me through this introduction that sets the tone for what purpose this forum will serve. Most importantly, I'll set some base guidelines for what myself and other developers can't share while we work on this pack. There are really only two things we can't discuss... First, we can't talk about anything regarding the pack's budget. As a publicly traded company, this isn't the right venue to share financial information. Second, we can't share a release date. You're going to be with us every step of the way throughout the development of this pack, but it is still a real stuff pack that we're selling, and as such it will have a normal announcement and marketing campaign - the same as any other stuff pack. As development progresses, I'm very much looking forward to sharing in-depth information. It's really up to you though how much you want to be involved, or how much you're interested in learning about how we work. If you're just looking for general information on the big development milestones, be sure to read our blog posts on the main site. If you want to check in from time to time to see how things are progressing, we'll have regular updates that are stickied in this forum where you can get caught up. And, if you really want to delve into the nitty-gritty, you'll find me here on a regular basis starting threads about our accomplishments, challenges we face, and the small decisions that are made in day to day development that influence the game that you'll ultimately play. So, outside of voting - how can you contribute to this pack? As we share regular information about the pack's development, it will naturally spur further discussion here in these forums. In game development, many of our decisions are group discussions where well reasoned arguments can convince the majority and help us proceed. In the same way, you're all welcome to post threads and participate in reasoned debates here that are prompted by recent development updates that we've shared. Certainly your contributions here will be read, discussed, and considered as we work on the pack, and your ideas can influence the final game. If you have any questions feel free to post them here in the forums, or to contact me directly on Twitter @SimGuruGraham . I hope you're as excited as I am to discover where this pack takes us :)
Which Stuff Packs do you think are worth buying?
The Sims 4 (as of March 2016) has 6 Stuff Packs, each cost $10. There are some Stuff Packs that I and some Simmers question if they're worth buying? Perfect Patio, Cool Kitchen, and possibly Romantic Garden are arguably the most useful Stuff Packs due to how useful their included objects are. The Hot Tub lets you get some buffs (e.g., Focused), the Ice Cream let's you get certain effects based on flavors, and the Wishing Well is probably worth it. However, there are probably 3 other Stuff Packs that are questioned if they're worth buying which are Luxury Party, Spooky and possibly Movie Hangout. The former two bias towards parties while the latter is focused on movies. Barkyard and Kids Room depends on the Simmer: the former for the backyard and the latter for children. Players who have a backyard on their lots will find use of Backyard Stuff but players who don't have a backyard, especially when City Life's Apartments appear, might not find this Stuff Pack useful. Simmers who tend to play Households with children (especially Family players) will find Kids Room useful but those who only use Adults or Elders (especially with Aging off) probably won't find the Stuff Pack useful. I haven't tried the Movie Hangout Stuff so I don't know much about it other than the Movies you can watch with the SP. What Stuff Packs do you think are worth buying?
STUFF PACK: References for Concept Artists
Hey everyone! The concept artists are interested in seeing what kind of objects and CAS you would like to see around the Stuff Pack theme of ‘eco-living’! Keeping in mind of the country-ish feel, please post your wishlist/suggestions with references (we artists are visual people, and pictures are helpful). If you are new to the forums and cannot post images, be as descriptive as possible! Style, material, size, etc. https://surveymonkey-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/survey/115535862/2e8d2575-950f-478f-8b46-c84979e5de07.jpg OBJ: Object suggestions must be MIMICS. They have to be an object class we already have in the game. For example: sofa, table, bookshelf, shower, stereo, wood working bench, etc. Clutter objects are perfectly fine as long as it does not imply gameplay. It needs to still follow the same technical placement/animation rules as existing items, without holding alt or using cheats like moveobjects. Please do not suggest objects we do not have in game yet. Objects with new gameplay, animations, or functionality are things you will be getting to place a vote on June 23rd. CAS: CAS suggestions can include hair, accessories, shoes, tops, bottoms, and body (one piece outfits like suits, dresses, overalls, etc). Remember references help us see what kind of style you are suggesting. When you post an image, be sure to point out what you like about it. Is it the material? Colors? Design? Also think about the style of the furniture/clothing. How does it all tie in together? As a wholistic pack, how does this fit into the ‘eco-living’ theme? This is a perfect opportunity to share your vision of what ‘eco-living’ means to you in an artistic view. But remember eco-living as a theme. You will vote on the name at a later date. All the references you provide will serve as inspiration for the artists and hopefully lead us into the right direction. "TheGoodOldGamer;c-15665642" wrote: I'd recommend using the spoiler tags to make it easier to scroll through the page. You can find them here: http://i.imgur.com/Ov7xP8e.jpg TLDR; Please go back and read it. Thanks!Stuff Pack gameplay feature vote results!
Hello Simmers! Let's get right to it... Laundry is the winning group of gameplay features that we'll create for this upcoming Stuff Pack, after capturing the most votes from this community! In fact, when we examined the outcome across the different regions that voted, the results were almost entirely aligned. Nearly everyone voted for the options in the following order... Laundry Off the Grid Food Preserves Carbon Conscious The only exception to this result came from players in Russia, where Food Preserves swapped places with Off the Grid by a slim margin. With these results in hand, we have a clear path forward for this pack. In the coming weeks our Stuff Pack designer will get to work writing full designs for Washers, Dryers, Clotheslines, Wash Tubs, and Hampers. I'm looking forward to sharing those full designs with you, so that we can collaborate on the little details which are so important to creating a fun - and full - Sims experience. You also have two more votes to look forward to, now with concrete dates on when they will occur. The Pack Icon Vote will start on September 6th, followed by the Pack Title Vote starting September 13th, where we will select the final name for this Stuff Pack. In the meantime, watch for more in-depth looks into game development right here on this forum. In the coming weeks I'll be sharing more art, showing off the hairstyles that will come with this pack, discussing the process we follow internally to get from the initial brainstorm to the feature groups you voted on, and more! Edit: To help clarify the edit to this post... This message originally mentioned Ironing Boards, and mistakenly excluded Hampers. I've edited the original post to better represent what's coming in this pack. Our first priority is to deliver the features that were mentioned in the Feature Vote survey. While we're interested in including Ironing Boards, it remains to be seen if they'll fit in the pack.Stuff Pack clothing vote results!
Thanks again to all of you who took part in the recently held Objects and Clothing vote! The survey placed the power in your collective hands to guide the course of this upcoming Stuff Pack, by helping determine which specific objects and clothing you wanted to see included. If you're just catching up on this project, you can read the blog that preceded this recent survey to discover more about which stage of development we're currently in. This past Sunday, we posted the results of the Objects portion of the survey right here on the forums, which revealed the 29 objects which will be part of this pack. Today I'm happy to share the other half of the survey results, and unveil the winning pieces of clothing that you'll be able to dress your Sims in when you get your hands on this Stuff Pack. In addition to the clothing shown today, there will also be three new hairstyles included in this Stuff Pack. Stay tuned for a forum post in the coming weeks that shows these hairstyles, and discusses how we selected them. The survey presented you with a difficult proposition, asking you to select just 14* winners from 64 unique pieces of concept art. As with the objects vote, the winners by and large represent your top 14 selections. In the pursuit of transparency throughout this project, I'll share that we did make a few adjustments to ensure that there is variety in the choices selected, with some representation across each of the ages and genders that were included in the vote. If you're curious to learn more about why we tweaked the winning list, I explained our development approach in-depth as part of the Objects and Clothing blog. *Many of you commented on the forums during the survey, wondering why the clothing shown in the style vote wasn't also included as options to vote for within the clothing vote. As you may have noticed, all of the assets shown in the art style image were redrawn in greater detail for the Objects and Clothing vote. Some of the assets even went through some changes, as our concept artists refined their vision from the broad room view, to an individual study of each piece. While we'd intended to do the same for the clothing, the pieces shown inadvertently slipped through the cracks and weren't redrawn in time to be included in the clothing vote. Because many of you felt passionately about these pieces of clothing, we've decided to also include the dress, boots, and stockings that were shown on the woman from the style vote. For the men, we'll incorporate similar patterns and textures to the ones shown in the style vote within the variants offered for their winning pieces of clothing. The end result is that a grand total of 17 pieces of clothing will come with this pack! These are the pieces of clothing that will be included in this upcoming Stuff Pack:The Sims 4 Community Voted Stuff Pack Deep Dive: Knitting!
Welcome back to our latest - and last! - Deep Dive into the gameplay of The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack. I’ve really enjoyed sharing the designs and development of this pack with you, and I hope to continue doing these sorts of posts in the future. It’s been a super cool experience, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these! In today’s post I’ll talk about the feature that is core to everything in this pack, Knitting! Once again, I have to remind you that we’re still in active development on the pack and so some things may change between now and the final game. Now, let’s talk about some nifty knits! In order to start knitting, you’ll need to purchase a Yarn Basket from the Build/Buy catalog. You probably remember voting on these baskets a while back. This was the winning design, presented to you now in all its colorful glory! Don’t like color? That’s okay, because we included a solid black and white variant. We have one more knitting basket coming too! Remember this one? The basket acts as the crafting catalyst(neat term, huh?) similar to the Easel or Woodworking Bench in The Sims 4 base game. But unlike those examples, the Yarn Basket is meant to live in a Sim’s inventory so that they can take their knitting anywhere they want to go. Knitting itself is relatively straightforward: click on the Yarn Basket in your inventory, OR, with the basket in your inventory, click on the chair you want to sit in while knitting (perhaps a rocking chair?) and select the Knit interaction. Your projects are saved to your Sim, so you can pause your progress at any time and resume later, and even juggle multiple projects at once. Starting a project costs a small amount of Simoleons for the cost of yarn, but nothing too outrageous. (Children can knit too!) As a Sim levels up their knitting skill they’ll have access to new patterns. They’ll start with knitting socks and beanies, but as they grow more skilled they can tackle more challenging projects like sweaters and toys for kids. But if you only want to specialize in one thing - perhaps knitted mailbox cozies? - that's fine too! Just keep knitting anything and everything, and you’ll be level 10 before you know it. Speaking of knitting skill, sometimes your skill is reflected in your knitted work, or rather your lack of skill. Knitting projects can fail, and when they fail they can get weird. But it’s all subjective, and maybe you’ll end up accidentally knitting the cutest derpy companion, or the perfectly itchy sweater. No mistakes, only happy accidents! (Just own it.) One of the niftiest parts of the knitting skill is unlocking the ability to Teach to Knit, where Sims sit down together and share the joy of knitting with one another. We wanted this to feel special, so we got a really sweet animation for it (Thanks Haeju!). Now that you can infect other Sims with the knitting bug, no yarn ball will be safe! (The knitting needles aren’t finished on the Teach To Knit interaction yet, but trust me it's SUPER CUTE.) So, what can you do with all these knitting projects? Lots of stuff! Not only can knitted objects be listed on Plopsy, but you can also Donate them to charity. If you want to surprise a loved one, try Gifting a knitted object too. If you want to destroy all traces of your knitted failures, you can Frog the object and start again! If it's a particularly nice Sweater that you made, consider Adding it to Wardrobe to make it available in Create-A-Sim to all family members. (Everyone appreciates a nice gift!) We want Sims to be able to knit something for their whole family. Not only will Sims be able to knit Toddler Onesies, but Baby Onesies as well. So put your little grubworm in a handmade knitted outfit. I’m sure they’d thank us if they could! (And if they didn’t like it I’m sure they’d be polite about it.) (Here’s a sneak peek at some of the concept art for new clothing for the littlest of Sims!) It also felt like a good idea to add an Aspiration to tie this passion for knitting all together. So if you want to master the fuzzy art of knitting, consider signing your Sim up for the Lord(or Lady) of the Knits Aspiration. With yarn running through your veins, there will be no knitting mountain too hard to conquer! Master the Aspiration and you’ll be rewarded with the Sacred Knitting Knowledge trait. What does it do? Lots of stuff! What does it unlock? Something special! Am I being vague? I am! Come on guys, I can’t share all the secrets quite yet. As I’ve mentioned previously, we’re trying to get as much cross-pack functionality for knitting as we can. Cats can play with Yarn Baskets and Yarn Balls, there will be new Club rules for Knitting, new class electives at University, and knitting counts for Emotional Control, just to name a few. I’m hoping Knitting feels nice and snug alongside our other gameplay systems. Now let's have a chat with our lead Object Modeler, Beth Mohler! Conor: Can you tell us a little bit about what an Object Modeler does on The Sims 4? Beth: As an object modeler I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to make objects work in The Sims 4. This is actually a very involved process, and somewhat different from the wonderful work our environment team does. We work with designers, concept artists, engineers, animators, vfx artists (basically everyone!) to make sure that Sims can use an object properly in an animation, or that all of our objects will work with each other. Once we understand the design for a new object, we will create a rig, a block model (a very generic version of the object used to help us make more of the same object in the future), and a footprint (tells us where the object can go and how Sims move around it). Once those are tested by animators and other disciplines we can model the final version, create UVs, and add textures. We also hook up and test everything in the game to make sure it all looks good. There is a lot to think about when it comes to making objects because we know players can find so many interesting ways to place and use them in game. That makes it a very fun challenge to make them work with everything else we’ve built before. Conor: What feature are you most excited to work on in Nifty Knitting Stuff? Beth: I’d say I am most excited to work on the rocking chairs! I love that we are bringing them to the game and can’t wait to see them in some cozy living rooms or on porches. Conor: What are some of the challenges you are facing working on this pack? Beth: One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the knitting itself looks good and is fun to watch! This is a challenge given that it needs to work for everything you can create. Figuring this out takes a lot of iteration between modeling, animation, engineering, design, and art direction so that we come to a conclusion that will work the best given our time and technical constraints. Another interesting “challenge” is the fact that I crochet as a hobby myself! When you are knowledgeable about something (yarn!) in real life, working on it in the game it can sometimes be hard to separate the things you know and may expect in reality from what is possible or best within a video game. I have to make sure to keep a balance and to conceptualize how we can best convert the knitting experience into The Sims 4. As someone who also generally enjoys interior design and architecture, this is actually one of my favorite challenges and one of the things I love about working on objects in The Sims 4. Conor: What is your favorite feature you have ever worked on in The Sims 4? Beth: I think it has to be a tie between the mini fridge or the robotics table in Discover University. That pack was the first time I got to really take an entire feature from start to finish. I’ve been with Maxis for a while, but I’m relatively new to The Sims 4. Both of these objects had some complex features we wanted that required a lot of iteration. I learned a ton about the technical aspects of our game during the process as well. I’ve also worked on a few very cool things between then and now, but those can’t be shared yet ; ) As a fan of The Sims since the very beginning I am so happy to be able to share a little about what I do on a daily basis on The Sims 4 with you! I haven’t been on The Sims 4 for quite as long overall, but some of you may also recognize me from my time on Sims Mobile where I shared some of our workflows on Twitter for making a juice bar. Thanks! Conor: You shared a screenshot of the In-Progress Rocking Chair in our Rocking Chair Deep Dive. Can you share an updated screenshot now that the Rocking Chair is further along? Beth: I would love to! I hope everyone has been enjoying seeing the progress on this object so far! Here it is a little further along. Thanks Beth! By the way, Beth is on Twitter @SimGuruBeth, so be sure to Follow her! And thanks to all of you Simmers for following this pack’s development, this has been a really fun project in a very crazy time. A big thank you to my Stuff Pack teammates, and especially SimGuruSarah who edited my inane ramblings and wrangled the miscellaneous bits for these posts. While this concludes my design Deep Dives, we still have more forum posts with development insights on the way! Keep checking the Community Stuff Pack forum and we’ll have more fun stuff to show off in the weeks to come. Until next time, SimGuruConor
