The Sims 4 is coming to PC later this year and while the game will lack toddlers and swimming pools, a host of new information on what will be included in the game has been revealed by the development team.
Maxis game engineer Trevor Lindsey and producers Sarah Holding, Graham Nardone, and Grant Rodiek have addressed numerous questions by fans on their Twitter accounts. While The Sims 3 allowed you to follow your Sims out of the house to work, Holding says they'll disappear once they leave the lot as they did in The Sims 2.
She also said that while you cannot increase the size of a home lot, you will be able to pick up and move your house to a larger location if need be using the game's Gallery. On that front, she said that the content you choose to share with other users through the gallery requires them to have a copy of the game.
You can dress your Sims in the same manner as The Sims 3 and plan outfits in the dresser.
Holding commented that while there are currently no plans, it's possible that The Sims 2's Social Bunny or even Big Foot could find themselves added to the game in time.
Regarding save files, Holding had this to say:
"You can have as many save files with the same world as you want. Or you can add new Sim families to an existing save file. Unique save files will be self contained, the data will not cross over."
Asked about the possibility that users will be able to mod the game and how, Lindsey commented:
"I don't know much about modding just yet, but we are using python as our scripting language. :)"
Nardone said that your Sims power and water will be turned off if they don't pay their bills while the maximum height for houses is still three stories but he added that this might change in future, "Definitely possible. It was a performance decision, not a tech one." An attic, built from roof objects, can serve effectively as a fourth floor until then, however.
He also said the game will have much shorter loading times than The Sims 3, under 30 seconds.
Rodiek said that Sims can freely travel between places in the game, "My Sim who lives in World A can visit a friend in World B. Or, move from World B to World A," and this won't affect the Sims' relationships. Between one and eight Sims can be moved from World A to World B.
You won't get to choose whether your Sim is left or right handed, it will be decided randomly. There are also no animals or at least no cats, dogs, or horses in the game.
