My Sims 4 Blog: 10/02/14

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Free Content Updates in The Sims 4 Starting…Now! Also, Gnomes

It’s hard to believe it’s been a month since we launched The Sims 4, but in that short time we’ve received a ton of great feedback as you’ve started exploring the game. We’ve designed The Sims 4 to be a live service, so we can continually evolve the experience, add new content, and incorporate as much of your feedback as possible. That’s what I’m here to talk about today.

So let’s get to it. Live RIGHT NOW is the first of three major game updates coming to The Sims 4 over the next three months, each with new features, new content and more. The updates will be free for everyone playing The Sims 4 who downloads the latest patch, and yes, there will be pools!

First, a rundown on the October update:

• October brings the spoooooky addition of Ghosts to The Sims 4. Your dead Sims can now rejoin the world of the living, where they maintain all the attributes they had a as a Sim, but with special new behaviors based on how they died. Invite them to join your Sims’ household and they can be playable characters; if you dare, you might even find a way to bring your ghosts back to life.

• Did you feel that disturbance in The Force? It was probably our new Star Wars Costume Set. Outfit your Sims in Luke Skywalker’s X-wing pilot suit, Leia’s white robes and awesome cinnamon buns, Darth Vader’s suit and, yes, even Yoda. I mean, who out there hasn’t dressed as Yoda for Halloween, right? Now you can in The Sims 4, too!

• Community requests like new eye colors are in there, too. I have personally just given all my Sims purple eyes. Because I can. We’ve also fixed a few minor bugs as well.

Next come two more major updates:

• In November, get your Sim-suits ready (too much pun? Sorry!) because pools will make their triumphant debut in The Sims 4.

• December is Put-Your-Sims-To-Work Month, as we introduce new Career paths and rewards.

All of these updates will be free for our players in The Sims 4. Just log in to Origin and download the patches as we release them. Each update will be full of great content and some surprises. Think that gnomes only live in gardens? Clearly, you’re not playing enough of The Sims 4.

Our players are just the best. Period. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy seeing so many creations from The Sims 4 shared in The Gallery, in forums and streams on Twitch. One of my recent faves is Deligracy’s speed build video of the “Not so Dusty Turf” Family Home. The details and her commentary are spectacular (whispers to Deligracy: I’ve also glued eyes onto cactus plants to make them look like people too). This is why all of us working on The Sims 4 just love making this game – the creativity that comes to life in our community is like nothing else. Please keep showing us more, we can’t get enough.

We’ve been keeping our ears and eyes on all of the comments and questions you have about The Sims 4. It’s awesome to be able to help with tips and tricks for some questions right away:

• For example – looking for the old camera control system? Just hit Shift-Alt-Tab in live mode!

• Another one – perhaps you’re moving your first family into their first home, did you know you can choose from more than just the vacant homes? You can bulldoze a lot or evict some NPC Sims, no red tape required!

• OK one more – did you know you can change your Sims’ Aspirations at any time? Click the star button on the bottom right corner in Live mode to open the Aspirations panel, then click the star button on the right side and you’ll see all available Aspirations. If your Sim with the Evil trait just can't find love on his mission to become the town player, then maybe switching to pursue the Deviance aspiration will be more up his alley.

Other topics may take a bit more time. We know our players on Mac are looking to hear more. We are working on it. When we have more to share, we’ll bring the news to you right here.

We look forward to sharing more about the November and December content updates right here as we get closer to release. We’re also exploring new features and some expansion packs for further down the line, and we’re always listening to your feedback to help us decide what to build. We’ve said from the beginning that The Sims 4 is all about endless play possibilities, and we hope each of these updates add fun new dimensions to your experience.

Happy Simming!

More info and pics at SimsVIP

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It's Getting Spooky in Here: Ghosts Are Now Haunting The Sims 4

We’re super excited to announce the release of ghosts in The Sims 4. Check out our guide below!

Ghosts, how do they work?

Just how do you find these spooky creatures from the spirit world? When a Sim dies, non-player character (NPC) ghosts attach to a tombstone or urn around your Sim’s home or yard. But these aren’t just decorations. You can build relationships with these ghosts, and invite them to join your Sim’s household where they can become playable characters. Once a ghost is “playable” it can get a job, get married and contribute to the family like any living Sim. Of course, they wouldn’t be properly undead without some special ghostly abilities and behaviors.

Ghostly Behavior

Ghosts are a moody bunch and much of what they do depends on how they’re feeling and how they died. Ghosts that die from laughter stay positive, with a moodlet causing nearby Sims to become playful. Beware of ghosts that die from anger, as they will have a very different attitude. Other ghosts will have more…unique behaviors. Sims that have been electrocuted to death will become ghosts capable of breaking objects by possessing them. Victims of the Cow Plant spend the afterlife interested in gardening; if you’re lucky, a ghost will lovingly tend to your Sim’s garden, but a bad mood will lead to a yard full of dead plants.

Luckily it’s pretty easy to tell what mood a ghost is in as they tend to radiate their emotions for everyone to see - it’s the undead version of wearing your emotions on your sleeve.

The way you play determines ghost behavior as well. If you keep your ghost Sims happy they’ll be a big help around the house freeing Sims to spend time working on goals, making friends or whatever it is that makes them happy. For example, you may hate how long it takes normal Sims to repair objects around the home. With ghosts around you can use “ghostly repair” to save all kinds of time! A Ghost Sim can even be used as a sort of maid that tidies up while your Sim family sleeps if the Ghost Sim has the “neat” trait.

Getting Rid of Ghosts

Tired of your ghost Sim? No problem! Ghosts can be easily banished to the netherworld with one interaction on their urn or tombstone. You can also bring ghosts back to life! If a Sim has a high enough gardening and cooking skill they can make a tasty plate of Ambrosia to bring ghosts back from the dead. You’ll need three ingredients to do that – Ambrosia, a Death Flower and the Potion of Youth.

We really hope that you enjoy the new ghostly gameplay and we can’t wait to see what new stories you’re going to tell. Happy haunting Simmers!

P.S. Make sure you launch Origin to download the latest update. It will automatically introduce ghosts into your game.

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