EA addresses exclusion of toddlers and pools in The Sims 4
The Sims 4 producer Rachel Franklin addressed fan concerns in a recent blog post, explaining why the latest game in the series lacks previously introduced features like pools and the toddler life stage.
Franklin explains that The Sims 4's redesigned technology base required the team to focus on new features, rather than trying to get lower-priority legacy mechanics up and running. "The bottom line is that when we sat down and looked at everything we wanted to do for this game, all the new tech we wanted to build into it, the fact was that there would be trade-offs, and these would disappoint some of our fans," she notes. "Hard pill to swallow, believe me, but delivering on the vision set out for The Sims 4 required focus. Focus on revolutionizing the Sims themselves."
Franklin continues: "So, rather than include toddlers, we chose to go deeper on the features that make Sims come alive: meaningful and often amusing emotions; more believable motion and interactions; more tools in Create A Sim, and more realistic (and sometimes weird!) Sim behavior. Instead of pools, we chose to develop key new features in Build Mode: direct manipulation, building a house room-by-room and being able to exchange your custom rooms easily, to make the immediate environment even more relatable and interactive for your Sim."
A fan-issued petition seeking the return of pools and toddlers in The Sims 4 recently topped 15,000 signatures. The Sims 4 will launch for PC and Mac platforms on September 2.
[Image: EA Maxis]
