#i know if i played ts4 i could make them a lot more accurate

[jamesbranwen]

made alex and mc in the sims 2 and here is what alex did immediately upon moving in

found a job

seduced MC

burned the house down

great job alex

[charlybeez]

Sims 4 Save File - Sims 3

For a while now, I have been planning to create my own save files on the previous sims games, Sims 3, 2, and 1. I grew up on Sims 3 and had an intense longing to play Sims 2 as a kid but could never find the CDs in stores to play it, and though I could play it nowadays, I feel it would be something to keep me going as a simmer and an excellent project. So, for now, I will create a Sims 3 save file based on the Sims 3 timeline and lore given on the Sims wiki. All the lots I make may or may not be renovated from the original. I have yet to decide, but I'm leaning toward non-renovated to keep it accurate to the original. Additionally, I will make all the worlds from TS3 as they match with TS4 worlds, minus Batuu. There are a few issues and hindrances, with the main one being that with TS4, there are limits to the number of lots I can create. In Sunset Valley (TS3) alone, there are around 90 empty and vacant lots, whereas in Willow Creek (TS4), There is a mere 21. So I will have to pick and choose carefully which lots I decide to create and move them around unless anyone knows a workaround for creating more lots or worlds. The only one I could find was from Mod The Sims, and it looked pretty outdated.

For the moment, my current project is going to be formatting which worlds in TS4 will be most accurate to the worlds in TS3; if anyone has any ideas, I would welcome them. I will also possibly open a Patreon for anyone who wishes to have early access to the world or certain luxuries, more updates, or just wants to help fund the project for all the time it might take—just as long as there is interest!

July 16, 2024

I'm currently working on clearing lots in the base game lots (Willow Creek, Oasis Springs) and working on my world formatting.

Let me know if you are interested in me recording and uploading videos of the creation of these saved files.

P.S. I am thinking about using cc in this save, if I use it my cc folder will be linked but It may as well be easier to not include any cc for other folks who don't play with it or just don't want it in their save. Thank uuuu!

Charlybeeeeeez

[pictureamoebae]

hi! sorry to bother you! i sent you a message a few days but am not sure it went through 😭i was just wondering if it was possible to achieve 'academy ratio'/1.37:1 in reshade? i googled around and some say to use/layer the border.fx, some say aspectratio.fx (although i tried playing around with that in 4.3 and nothing seemed to visibly change my screen), etc. i'm hopeless. 😔

Sorry, I don’t think it did come through!

I haven’t played with the new aspect ratio shader, but back in the day we used to regularly use the border shader to set up different aspect ratios, and even the vignette shader could be used to do similar. It’s been a while since I used either of them (we’re talking back in the 0.18 days of ReShade, and earlier with the vignette shader in SweetFX), so I can’t remember off-hand how they are supposed to work, but they should be applying a black border or black bars over the image – you’ll need to play with the various values to make sure it looks how you want.

HOWEVER, there is a much more reliable and sexy way of creating any aspect ratio you want without ReShade, and it’s what I use whenever I’m able. I’m sure you’ve seen me talk about SRWE before? It stands for Simple Runtime Window Editor, and it’s a small, lightweight, and free program that lets you change the size and shape of the game window to whatever you want. It doesn’t work with all games, but it does work flawlessly with The Sims 4 (presumably that’s what you’re asking about?).

I wrote an in-depth tutorial some time ago about how to use it (the tutorial is for Mass Effect: Andromeda but it works exactly the same in TS4 and almost every other game I’ve used it with). The tutorial covers a lot about how to use it for hotsampling, which means taking far larger screenshots than normal, but even if you’re not interested in doing that it’s ridiculously easy to use to run the game in whatever aspect ratio you want.

You’ll also probably want a link to this bad boy: aspect ratio calculator. It’ll let you work out the correct pixel dimensions for any aspect ratio you want. I’d let you have a copy of my AR.txt file I keep permanently open in Notepad++ but 1.37:1 is just about the only AR I don’t have noted down (I have 4:3, which is near as damn it, but is more accurately 1.33:1).

If you’re definitely not interested in using SRWE, let me know and next time I’m at my computer properly I’ll take a look at those shaders and see if I can work out the correct settings for you. But I definitely recommend taking a look at SRWE because it makes switching aspect ratios the quickest and simplest thing in the world.

[coffeexsimsx]

What would a dream pack be for you? (Ex: university, retro etc. )

Oh my, you have opened a door! Before I continue, ts4 is the only one I’ve played so maybe this is already something from the previous sim games! 

Since this is a whole essay I will put it under read more!

I would throw my money at an education pack. Where grades matter for careers and traits influence how they do in different subjects. It would be similar to Get to Work! Like, you could go with them or they would go on their own. They would also release a patch for a new life stage! Which would be pre-teens something from past games if I’m correct.  

There would be a new world which is similar to a college campus in scenery. Plus there are pre-made residence halls and classroom buildings (i doubt they’ll let us make our own multi-household complexes soon) and a new lot type which is for the colleges, student centers, tutoring places, or the like! 

The build/buy mode things wouldn’t be too expensive since um hello we’re broke but there would be great decor and clutter items! There would be bunk beds, futons, mini fridges, and laptops! 

The CAS items would include messy buns, bad haircuts, sweatpants, uniforms, and headphones! It would be cool if somehow backpacks could be put on their person! The patch would also include more hair colors for everything since I know so many people with rad hair colors!

Lastly, some new play mode things would be like teaching careers, part time jobs, literally more careers pls!!! There would be bonus points in certain traits depending on the college/major/traits/etc. Also imagine the social events for extra credit and trying to woohoo when your sims’ roommate suddenly comes back! Also woohoo in a single’s bed would be hilarious but so accurate hahaha! Maybe even some variation of weed lolol with it having an affect which would also mean alcoholic drinks actually having an affect too! 

I would just sell everything I own for this expansion pack then like give two away because this is such a damn dream! 

For those of you who stayed until the end, what would you love to see in this pack??

[awesimz]

Hi guys, welcome to my Sims 4 “Differences in the Family Tree” legacy, which came about solely because my Sims 3 game keeps shitting out on me and I have finally run out of fucking patience, lol. TS4 runs so much faster on my PC anyway, and while I do miss the open world aspect, I can’t deny there’s something very pleasing about not lagging 24/7, lmao. This legacy has also been paired with the mini challenge “Runaway Teen”, but it’s pretty much only relevant during this episode so it’s not that big of a deal. I honestly just wanted more of a challenge.

At the moment, the only expansion pack I have is City Living, and the only game packs I have are Parenthood and Outdoor Retreat. 

Now, without further ado, let’s begin our little story :)

Meet Serah, our founder. After growing up in a household that was extremely controlling to the point of near suffocation, she ran away as a teen to finally find freedom from her oppressive parents. It was a spur of the moment decision, and while Serah desperately craved independence, she also wasn’t aware how hard it would be to strike out on her own. She crossed a few towns before finally settling down in Willow Creek, attempting to keep under the radar so that her parents wouldn’t find her and bring her back home.

Unfortunately, keeping under the radar meant that she couldn’t enroll in school, and because she couldn’t enroll in school, it meant her future job prospects were going to be very limited. More than that, being on any kind of pay roll could put her name back in the system, which would make it easier for her parents to find her. Therefore, Serah figured her best bet was to attempt to live off the land.

It... was probably going to take awhile until she started catching anything of quality though.

At least she looks pleased with herself.

She started her garden on a little patch of land she found on the outskirts of town though, knowing she would have to do more than fish to get by. (Also the damn thing is her LTW and the entire basis of the first part of this legacy challenge, so there’s that haha).

She also started digging up what she hoped were ‘treasures’ every chance she got, because right now she was sleeping on benches outdoors or couches in karaoke clubs and lbh, that shit was hell on her back.

Also it’s kinda just plain sad.

The park was easily Serah’s favorite place to hang out though, as it had not only all sorts of ways to make money, but it also gave her an opportunity to socialize with teens her own age.

Cassanda: So you’re, ah... not from around here, right? I haven’t seen you in school.

Serah: Yeah, I’m just passing through. My family’s moving to the city, but we stopped here to visit my grandparent’s first. It’s all pretty boring, which is why I’m hanging around here.

Lies.

She didn’t need Cassandra going home and telling her parents she met a homeless girl though.

Okay listen some of these frogs are actually worth a pretty penny, I’m surprised.

Which is why she can finally afford...... a bed, a trash can, and two whole walls. lmao.

GIRL YOU ARE IN PUBLIC WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Also side note - is there a way to make them stop walking around in towels after showering at the gym cause this is ridiculous. Manually having to change her myself is tedious. 

Lola: Hey so... my friend Cass tells me you’re just here visiting your grandparents, right?

Serah: Yeah, I think I’m only gonna be here for a few more---

Lola: Oh, come on, don’t lie to me! I live near where you’re camping out, you know! I saw you when I was taking one of my long walks to get away from the crushing despair that will soon be my future, and you definitely weren’t visiting any one. In fact, you looked like you didn’t want to be seen.  Serah: Alright... fine. But if I tell you the truth, you can’t tell anyone. Swear? Lola: Swear.

Serah: So basically my parents are soul-crushing assholes that won’t accept that their child could be anything less than what they deemed to be fit, so I got the fuck out of dodge. I’m dirty, I’m poor, and I will probably never have a real job as long as I live, but fuck it, at least I have my freedom. Lola: ...Wicked.

Yeah, sure, if you enjoy living in poverty it’s totally cool, lol.

The next day, Serah received some visitors.

Serah: Uh... hi?

Serah: Listen, not to be rude - especially since all of you are pretty hot - but if any of you guys’ parents find out about me, I’m seriously fucked. Ya’ll are drawing way too much attention to me right now. Lola: Girrrrrrl, don’t even worry about it; this side of town is our regular hangout; a bunch of teenagers chilling on one lot won’t make anyone bat an eyelash. They’ll just think we found some abandoned shack to make into some kind of silly ‘clubhouse’ or something.  Cassandra: Wait, what do you mean, ‘find out about you’? I thought you were just passing through. Serah: *sigh* Never mind. And it’s not a--! Okay, maybe it is a bit of a shack.  Cassanda: ......I’m still confused. Lola: That’s not a surprise.

Serah: Hey! You though, you look fabulous; and slightly less crazy than everyone else that just wandered into my sad excuse for home. Save me?

Malcolm: Oh honey, if you only knew. But no, just count yourself lucky that people give enough of a shit about you to come by. Not all of us have that.

Serah: Uh, hello? Me, standing right in front of you, offering for you to stay and chill for a bit. There are literal actual shits being given right now. I mean, I might not know you, but fuck it, I don’t really know anyone really in this neighborhood, and if I’ve just gained some sort of posse we need a token gay guy. Malcolm: I’d take offense to that if it wasn’t so disastrously true. You all are in some serious need of my wisdom anyway, and this desperate bisexual vibe you’ve been giving off needs an actual direction. I have a friend of a friend that might be interested. Give me a minute. Serah: You know... I’d be offended too if ‘desperate’ wasn’t entirely accurate. I really need to get laid; it’s been a hard af week.

Serah: Oh... okay, wow. You’re pretty.

Serah: You wanna go to the Romance Festival with me? I know that’s forward as fuck, but I don’t know how to play coy, so. Tanvi: I kind of like the direct approach, honestly. Sure, I’ll go.

Serah: What is this, exactly? Tanvi: Idk, probably drugs. 

Tanvi: You are... pretty fucking hot though. Malcolm said you had this homeless, idgaf rocker chick-chic vibe going on, but it’s so much more than that. Serah: I’m smooth af, I know.

Tanvi: *chuckles as she gets her hands kissed* Sure, we’ll go with that.

She is a bit though, isn’t she? Haha. Then again, they were drinking romance drugs or whatever the fuck they ingested to get in the mood, so really it’s just like they were both roofied. Nice things to give to kids, there, EA.

One of my favorite things about festivals coming into town though is that all of the flowers and produce have regrown themselves and are able to be stolen harvested, which gives Serah a nice little boost to her wallet.

Which means she can get two more walls and an actual toilet! Yay!

She’s getting better at fishing too, which I’m glad for.

Oh! And look what she found! I wasn’t paying much attention to where she got it from because she was on a digging/fishing spree through the park and I didn’t notice it in her inventory until she came home, but I’m excited. I’ve never had a cow plant in any of my games before.

Eric: Hey, you look to be about my kid’s age; maybe you know him? His name is Blake.

See, and this is why we do not socialize with adults; not even when stopping by the vendors to get something to eat.

Serah: *nervous laugher* Uhhh, actually I’m home schooled, sir. So no; pretty sure I don’t know your kid.

Eric: Ah, well that’s okay. You know, me and my wife thought about home schooling our Blake, but then we realized we didn’t want to spend that much time with our kid. It’s gotta be hell on your parents, yeah? Always having you hanging around? Never having a break?

Serah: No offense, but you sound like a shit parent. Eric: That’s what the gremlins in our house say too, funny enough. Serah: Errrrrrrr....

Girl, just gtfo. Lol. 

Anyway, we give you this brief interlude while Lola crashes Serah’s pad again to give you... her garden! It’s getting bigger :)

Lola: Giiiiirl, I just had the best idea. Serah: What is it?

Lola: Camping trip partyyyyyyy!!!! You in????? Come on, tell me you’re in; it’s not like you have anything better to do; let’s be fair. 

Serah: Uh, aren’t ya’ll in school still? Lola: Seriously? We graduate in two days; that’s the whole reason I want to throw this! Like a ‘coming of age, one last time to get completely hammered and make bad decisions party.’

Lola: I know you didn’t go to school with us, but everyone loves you. Actually, everyone kind of loves you more than me.... so I’m gonna need you to make the call, k? Also btw I think everyone’s caught on to your lie of ‘just passing through’ since it’s been awhile and you’re not only still here, but still hanging out at this shit shack. I don’t think anyone cares though, so just call for me? Serah: .........Fuck it.

Serah: Malcolm? Grab everyone; we’re going camping this weekend.... Yes, there will be showers there, calm down. But also don’t bring hair gel; it’ll probably attract mosquitos or some shit. Also you’ve probably caught on to the fact that I’m homeless by now, so can you bring a tent? I’m poor af, clearly.

And so they all went camping, and had a pretty good time. The truth did eventually come out to all of them though, and everyone promised not to say anything. Even though they were all about to become adults soon and it probably did not matter as much after that, Serah still worried that should her parent’s find her, even as an adult, that they’d drag her back home by her hair.

Anyway, they not only had the good, wholesome kind of fun....

...But they also had the decidedly less wholesome kind as well.

(I think Malcolm had one too many to drink, haha).

Lola: Sooo... you gonna do it this weekend or not? Serah: Do what?

Lola: Make it official with Tanvi, obviously. You’re blind as hell if you haven’t noticed that she’s been waiting. Serah: Wait, seriously?

Serah: I mean, you really think I should? I live in a shack and I garden for a living; that’s not exactly setting her up for an adulthood filled with glamour. Lola: You idiot, she doesn’t care about that. Just go talk to her.

Serah: So you know you’re like... so pretty, right? And down to earth, and... and a whole lot of other stuff that I don’t want to list out cause I’m gonna sound stupid.

Serah: But do you think you maybe.... wanna be my girlfriend? I know I’ve got a shit future ahead of me, being uneducated and all, but I’m hoping that’s not something you really care about right now because if you do I don’t got a Plan B, so.

Tanvi: *laughs softly* You idiot, I don’t care at all about that. Of course I’ll be your girlfriend.

(Well, Lola hit it right on the money, didn’t she?)

Awww :)

Of course they gotta take that obligatory FB photo so they can update their relationship status with a pic, lmao.

Serah: Consummate the relationship with me? Tanvi: I thought you’d never ask.

Right when she got home she aged up too! Welcome to Young Adulthood, Serah; hopefully it’s more stable than your teenage years.

Also all that fishing and gathering on the trip allotted her the bare necessities, yay!

...But oh, honey, I think it’s time to hit the gym. lol.

TBC....

[something-wicked-sims]

Dear Jade, I am writing this to ask a few questions I've had regarding writing in the sims form. How would someone start one of these sims stories? And how would someone keep it from becoming flat, and continue writing it past writers block? Some tips on developing a character inside the story would also be fantastic. Coming from someone who has only written novels and poetry, any advice on writing short pieces to go with photos is greatly appreciated! Sincerely, Mel. PS: This is 100% Real

Wow Mel, hit me with the heavy questions why don’t you Q_Q But you know, as someone who also made the switch from novel writing to sim story format, I kind of know where you’re coming from. Hence we begin…

Jade’s Mega-Fantastic Tips For Adapting to Sim Story Format 

#DearJade to block, as this is an extremely LONG post. 

Disclaimer: These tips don’t apply to everyone. The general rule of simblr is to have fun and DO WHAT YOU WANT. This advice is only really aimed at people who are serious about the craft and want to improve on their writing and how to present it in this medium. Not everyone takes it this seriously, and not everyone needs to. But for those of you who are looking for more direction with your writing, this is my personal, and humble advice. The fact that I titled this “mega-fantastic” was 100% sardonic. I’m just a chick on tumblr. I have a B.A. in English with a focus on creative writing, and nearly 6 months of simblr experience. These are my only qualifications. So, with that being said, don’t listen to anything I say from this point onward. 

How to Begin:Everyone’s writing processes are different. Some people like to map things out, while others tend to go with the flow. If your goal is to write some sort of cohesive linear storyline, and not just sporadic bouts of gameplay, then it’s good to have at least an idea of where you want to end up. Some point to make within your story, or some goal for your main character to accomplish. That way, all the things you do between point A and point B will have a similar thread, and you’re less likely to get lost on random tangents. 

General writing tips: Start with something interesting! Introduce your new characters in an exciting way. If you’ve never heard the phrase “in media res”, now’s a good time to learn it. Start in the middle, at the beginning. It’s nice to already have something going on at the beginning of your story, and don’t put too much time into explaining who all your characters are, what they do, what they like… right up front. It will engage people with your story more if you start off with action instead of description. 

Presentation: Since you’re writing a sims story, you have to think double time. Here, writing is only half of the work. Which is why simblr writers really don’t get enough credit! Think about how you want your scene to reflect in photos. The first sims story I did, I made the mistake of writing it in it’s entirety as a novel, and then having to take “necessary photographs” to go with each scene. I ended up with a great deal of pictures of people walking around aimlessly, or standing in the same room talking, or sitting on a chair talking, or on a couch talking… You get the point. You can still write as a novel and adapt it (which is still what I do), but I would recommend writing your scenes with your blog in mind. Think  “This scene could happen in their kitchen, but what if I moved it to a park instead?”, better scenery, probably more angles/more things to look at. Try to be creative with your screenies. Experiment with different angles. Think about your favorite movies, and the ways they are filmed. Try to incorporate those elements into your pictures. Sims stories have a certain cinematic quality to them, so write with that in mind, because how interesting your photos are will draw more people in to read your writing. Trust me. 

Character Development:Understand that the vast majority of sim stories and legacies unfold over enormous amounts of real life time. If you’re afraid of longterm writing commitments, you should probably run away screaming! No, I’m kidding (kind of), but they are huge commitments. I know people who have been writing their legacies for years. My first sims story took four months to complete and was around 75,000 words in its extracted tumblr form. My point is, it’s going to take a lot of time. Which is great! Because character development takes time. My advice for adapting character development to sims stories is to make sure every scene has a point. If you want to make a post just for fun, that’s great too! But when it comes to scenes that move your plot forward, answer the question “What does this accomplish?”, “Why is this particular scene necessary?”, “Would the story be the same if this didn’t happen?”. 

Simblr writers can spend hours putting together a post. I would think that is a pretty accurate statistic. From the writing, to building the set, clothing your sims, downloading CC, posing them, taking photos, and then editing the photos, each 3-4 pictures you take for a particular scene probably consumed precious long minutes of your life. So make sure that it’s an important scene that you’re spending all this time on. And, of course, just like most anime fans will tell you, FILLER EPISODES SUCK Q_Q (Not always. But sometimes). Anyways, sim story format sometimes forces you to consider what is vital to a story and a character, as we usually make posts to highlight specific moments in our sim-babies lives. I think development is really inherent to this medium, so I wouldn’t worry too much about if your character is developing or not.

General writing tips:

Dialogue is important!

How your character reacts to things is important!

Formatting:There are many different ways to format your sim story, and none of them are wrong. Do what you are comfortable with. If you’re coming from writing novels or short stories, then paragraph format is a great way to go. You can do caption writing, which is writing your text (typically dialogue and similar to playwriting in effect) directly onto your screenshots. You can do textual playwriting, which would be to have short exposition to setup a scene followed by tagged dialogue:

Maria: I went to the store yesterday.Bob: Really? What did you need to get there?Mari: Oh, I just had to pick up a few things for the party Saturday. 

These are the three most highly used formats I have seen used on simblr. I think they all work great, and you can even mix them. Just do what you are comfortable with and what you prefer. Don’t try to stretch yourself to change the style of your writing just to match what other people are doing. 

General writing tips:

One thing I will say is to be wary of your Point of View (or PoV). If you are using multiple PoV’s (as in you swap them between posts) then you should label whose PoV it is for your readers (I do so in my tags), if you use captions, usually changing font color to depict two or more players is the way to go. If you would like to switch PoV within the same post, I recommend using third person point of view e.g. “Bob walked here. Maria said this.”

And how would someone keep it from becoming flat… As I mentioned above, the best thing you can do here is just to make sure your scenes are vital to the plotline, or character development in some way. Don’t bog down your stuff with useless scenes, if your goal is to write a cohesive story. There is a #ts4 gameplay tag for a reason. It is not the same tag as #ts4 story, and people who follow one tag, may not necessarily want to follow the other. As a reader, I’m interested in the storyline. Is your character involved in some shady business? Are they going to find out that their loser husband is cheating on them? I don’t really want to see three different posts devoted to your sim cooking eggs for breakfast. SORRY. #justiceforeggs

General simblr tips:

@medleymisty has recently incorporated the usage of #simnovel for longer text posts. I think this is an excellent step forward for hobby sim story writing. So you can use this tag if you thing it applies to your work!

….and continue writing it past writers block? I can’t answer this! I am not a magician, unfortunately. Sometimes inspiration comes and sometimes inspiration goes. Writers block is a legit thing, and if I had a super-fix for it, I would hand it out lovingly to the world’s writers. But since I don’t, I will say that you shouldn’t pressure yourself ahead of time. Don’t think you need to post regularly. Go at your own pace. If you need a break? Take one. Just bounce right on out the door. I hear there’s a new Mass Effect game out. Go play it! Tumblr will still be here where you come back. 

Remember, this isn’t your job, it’s a hobby. As for how to get inspired or stay inspired, I really feel motivated to work on my sim stories when I am having fun, either playing the game, or putting together some scenes. So just have fun with it. Make Pinterest boards. Dudes, Pinterest is so great for writers, utilize it as a tool! Make character boards and pin things that you remind you of your babies and go look at the beautiful pictures when you’re feeling stuck. Share your boards, too! Lots of simblr’s have pinterests and you can follow them, they’ll follow you back, it’s great. Fantastic. But yeah, just have funnnn and do your thing and when you’re not feeling it, don’t try to force it, because you’ll just regret it and start to resent your stuff, and it’s just a bad time. 

This concludes my massive wall of pretentious text.

[thesims4blogger]

Former creative director of Maxis/The Sims hosts AMA on Reddit

Former creative director of Maxis / The Sims, Ray Mazza, hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) post on Reddit today. While the man is well experienced in other areas of game development, many fans were more curious about his ten years at Maxis as an engineer, designer, lead designer, & creative director on Sims games.

Q: What mark did you have on the Sims franchise that you are most proud of?

A: In The Sims 2, it was the coding that made the service Sims real people. In TS1, the maid, cop, firefighter, etc, would all do their jobs, but that’s it. In The Sims 2, if you struck up a conversation with them you’d be able to make friends with them, and invite them over, get romantic, even marry them. It was always so much fun to make a cop part of your family, and have them change into their uniform, etc.

In The Sims 3, I had a broader influence on the game, and I’m very proud of the open world aspect that the design team worked on together. It fundamentally changed how the Sims was played — being able to walk across the street and visit your neighbor.

For something that I was solely responsible for, it was a lot of the build mode advancements — being able to work on a free form placement mode outside of the grid, adding lots of “clutter” objects and locations to put them, being able to freely rotate objects, etc, and officially support it. Even being able to drag walls back and forth without having to demolish your home! It gave builders such a great leap in their tools to make better looking homes and I was quite proud of that.

One smaller piece that I’m proud of that I feel like mentioning even though it’s tiny is that you can collect meteorites around the landscape. I made sure that the bulk of them were named after real meteorite types (e.g. Carbonaceous Chondrite or Eucrite, etc) and had similar relative rarities to what’s found on earth. I always loved how games could teach you things in a fun way, and this was one of those aspects.

Q: What was the initial inspiration for a game like the Sims?

A: It’s funny, The Sims was kind of an accident…

The Sims was originally intended to be more of a feng shui simulator. You’d build a home and decorate it, and then the Sims were only added as a way to score you and let you know how you did by walking around and reacting to the home. But then they ended up being everyone’s favorite part, so the dev team leaned into that aspect. The Sims was born!

Q: Who at Maxis is responsible for the character canon in The Sims and which characters cross over to new editions of the game?

A: That has evolved over time, and there have been different people on each title responsible for that, usually on the world building part of the team. There are enough people involved that I can’t really give names. It’s not just a single genius toiling away. On The Sims 3, it was mostly driven by producers and writers, and a ton of thought goes into where the game fit into the timeline of the universe, and which characters could be part of that continuous universe story thread.

Q: Now that Maxis imploded on itself what is your opinion on the Sims 4 questionable launch and lack of features?

A: My opinion is that making a Sims sequel is incredibly challenging.

As a designer, it hurts, because you always want your game to be better than before in every way, but in order to make new things, we had to make compromises on features established from previous games. Also, if it were up to the design team, we’d just keep working on the game until it blows all previous base games out of the water, but the schedule (and budget) do not allow that to be possible. In the future, I’d personally like to see development that can re-use a lot more of what came before without having to remake it all.

As for Maxis, I don’t think it has imploded on itself, and I think we can expect great things from them in the future. I know they’ve learned a lot from developing TS4, and they have some great talent that has recently returned to the company from TS2 days.

EDIT: I previously had a statement about how fans compare a new base game to previous base game plus expansions, and that wasn’t accurate and was an over-generalization. The Sims community let me know I was wrong there, and I don’t want to perpetuate that, so I removed it.

Q: Do you know about the dozens of ways there are to kill your “creations” (Sims)?

A: I can’t keep track of them all — burning, starvation, drowning, scared to death, devoured by flies, old age, electrocution, eaten by a cow plant (yup), various emotions… and there’s also becoming the undead (mummy, vampire, werewolf, etc).

I like that the way you die affects the color of your ghost in some of the Sims games.

There’s a story about Will Wright, the creator of The Sims, wanting to add a giant pair of scissors to the game (like the size of a person) just so that it could have a Run With Scissorsinteraction on it that would kill you.

Q: Do you play the Sims games on a regular basis? Which one is your favorite and least favorite?

A: I used to play Sims games a LOT. The Sims (1) came out while I was in college, and I remember picking it up with my then-girlfriend (now wife) and then playing it for endless hours. The checkout clerk told me, “be careful, or you won’t sleep.” He was right.

So I developed a love of Sims games before working at Maxis, and I remember playing them alongside Diablo II : )

I loved The Sims 2, but I probably played The Sims 3 the most. What was great for me about The Sims 3 was that even though I was a co-lead designer and I knew so much about how the game operated and I had written so many of the designs, it still managed to surprise me time and again. My favorite aspects were the creative ones — filling out a town with Sims that I’d made, painting screenshots on the easel from images I’d taken in game, writing novels and naming them, etc. I also loved the first expansion, “World Adventures” for the exploration aspects of going through tombs.

For least favorite, I would say the console games, just because I found the control schemes prevented me from becoming absorbed.

I played Sims games right up until I left Maxis in January of 2014. At that point, I basically devoted most of my free time to working on Merge Dragons. In fact, I have played what I would consider very few games since then, as I’ve put almost all my free time into developing Merge Dragons.

Even though Ray Mazza says he loved working at Maxis, he has moved on to spend most of the time on his new game called Merge Dragons. There is plenty more to learn from Mr. Mazza so read the rest of the AMA over on Reddit.