Lyndsay Pearson (Senior Producer of The Sims 4) and PAX Prime’s Joseph Alminawi aka Swiftor presented a live demonstration of The Sims 4 on the PAX Prime 2014 Twitch channel yesterday.
In their Sims household they have Angel, Robyn, Jax, and two Sims modeled after Penny Arcade’s Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik. Jerry is actually watching a gaming livestream on his tablet, which increases his video gaming skill. Mike is sent on a Zero G Workout into space using the rocket ship in the backyard. Jax is able to listen to the space launch from the computer.
The ladies demonstrate multitasking by watching television, eating, and having a conversation at the same time. Meanwhile, Jerry is participating in a novice Blicblock tournament using the motion gaming rig.
A Sim modeled after Swiftor is added to the household from the My Library tab of the Gallery. He’s going to need a place to sleep, so a bedroom is added from the Styled Rooms section in Build Mode and placed at the front of the house. Any conflicting objects are highlighted in yellow and automatically sold when the room is placed. After decorating the outside of the room, the Sims head to the Burners & Builders Gym in Oasis Springs.
Swiftor is new to the fitness skill, so he’s struggling a bit with the punching bag. Mike can push the limits when using one of the machines because of his workout earlier. Moving on to the treadmill, Swiftor and Jax can also watch television. If they were to watch the cooking channel, they could learn two skills simultaneously. Robyn has the loner trait, so being around so many people at the gym makes her tense. Loner Sims have less trouble keeping friendships over time, however, and can receive positive moodlets from being around their friends.
While doing a bit of “simwatching,” Lyndsay notices two women having a conversation over burgers across the street. She sends Swiftor dashing over to one of them and gives her a rude introduction. The two argue, and he throws a drink in her face. Despite being the instigator, he ends up being the one in the angry emotional state.
The household heads home and plans a house party. In addition to the hosts and guests, the Sims can hire an entertainer, caterer, and mixologist. Jerry is hungry and that slice of cake hanging from the Cowplant’s mouth is looking pretty tempting. Reaching for it, he is swallowed up and spit back out by the plant. The caterer has just finished baking a real cake, and proceeds to place it on the floor for the party guests.
Jax is feeling inspired and begins painting. Sims can paint their emotion while in certain emotional states. When placed in a house, these paintings can affect the emotions of Sims in the room. Lyndsay mentioned that this can be turned off.
Additional Notes:
The little clouds above a Sim’s portrait contain whims, which serve as temporary goals that your Sim can achieve. These are very much like wants in The Sims 2 and wishes in The Sims 3. There is always one whim based on a Sim’s current emotion. Completing whims can improve a Sim’s mood and gives your Sim satisfaction points that can be used in the Rewards Store.
Clicking on an icon in the Needs panel will automatically queue an action to fulfill that need.
