As Valentine’s day is upon us a rush of strong emotional feelings made me revisiting my virtual girlfriend that I created years ago when I first played the Sims 3. One thing lead to the other and after the hours I spent playing the life simulation I decided to check out the newest upcoming title from Maxis. The Sims 4 will be coming fall 2014 and is definitely bringing us closer to a real life simulation.
The Sims 4 Creation Tools Made Easier To Use Than Ever
I really appreciate the time and effort the guys at Maxis put into making both the sims and building creation tools much simple. With only a few clicks I am able to create the perfect girlfriend and put my nerdish body into the virtual simulation. In The Sims 4 people will be able to experience creation as simple and easy as a facebook game and yet complex in detail as the ones seen in pretty decent RPG games. Even though we will possibly see tons of items coming as DLC packs after the game is released, the initial variety of household furniture is pretty decent.
Feng-Shui and Emotions Breathe Life in Your Sims
Even though, Maxis and The Sims Studios have managed to simulate emotions in previous titles from the franchise, in The Sims 4 your virtual companions do seem alive. The emotions that they are feeling can be affected by the everyday objects placed in the room, the colors in which you have painted your house and the environment you’ve created for them. The emotions your sims are feeling can be affected by a variety of factors, including paranormal ones. Although, I thought elements such as voodoo and aliens will ruin the lifestyle simulation experience, they tend to add a dose of entertainment, especially when you are hours into the game and find yourself so emotionally attached to your sims that you just want them to succeed, even if via the use of voodoo dolls.
Have an idea for a TV Show? Create one with The Sims 4!
The new emotions system in The Sims 4 enhances your experience greatly. As you are able to see what gets your sims angry and what makes them flirty, you are able to create the sitcoms scenarios you have always wanted. The response of the sims is more unique and lifelike than ever and gives players the ability to take the role of a screenplay writer and play around with your virtual actors. However, be careful as their reactions and complex AI may actually surprise you.
Facial Expressions in the Game have been significantly improved
Even though the visuals are not photo-realistic, the graphical fidelity and visual aesthetics of The Sims 4 should be perfect for anyone who would want to make a machinima series or even a full feature movie. The facial expressions of the sims have also been reworked bringing additional fidelity to the overall believability factor of the game.
A thing I love about The Sims 4 is the simplicity. In previous games the players would have to go through tons of sliders, skill and experience bars and more just to have a little bit of fun with their virtual companions. Even though The Sims 4 holds more complexity than any of the previous games, the UI is improved substantially giving the player the ease of use the franchise has needed for a long time.
The Sims 4 will be available in Fall 2014. More information on the game will be released at the annual Game Developer’s Conference, scheduled from March 17 to 21. If you want to learn more about the Sims franchise, stay tuned to Gamer Headlines and join us in a discussion in our forums.
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