the sims 4
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The Sims 4 earns an 18+ rating in Russia to protect children
Won't someone please think of the children? The Sims 4 has been given an 18+ rating in Russia, due to content deemed "harmful" to children. The news was first tweeted by the official Russian Sims account, which later clarified that the rating was given to the game in accordance with Russian law 436-FZ, "On Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development." Official Sims sources have not revealed specifically what content came into conflict with the law, which penalizes information "encouraging children to commit acts that endanger their lives," information that would instill a "desire to use narcotics, psychotropic and (or) intoxicants, tobacco, alcohol and alcohol-containing products," information "justifying illegal behavior," information that contains pornographic imagery and information that promotes "unconventional sexual relationships," among a lengthy list of other offenses. Whatever the offending content, think twice before calling someone who plays The Sims 4 names; clearly this game is pretty hardcore. [Image: Sims Russia]
The Sims 4 ships for PC in fall 2014
The Sims 4 will launch worldwide for PC platforms in the fall of next year, Electronic Arts announced today. Developed by EA Maxis' The Sims Studio, The Sims 4 ups the series' surrealist life-simulation ante with more lifelike Sims and a new creation-focused player toolkit. An Origin-exclusive Digital Deluxe version is up for pre-order at The Sims 4's official website, offering players bonus "Life of the Party" and "Up All Night" content packs when the game premieres next year.
The Sims 3 saves won't carry over to The Sims 4
The Sims 3 players must sever ties with their current relationships and start anew in The Sims 4, as EA says save files will not transfer between games. "We have brand new technology driving the game so unfortunately none of that carries over," producer Ryan Vaughan tells Videogamer. "Especially with the new tools: It's a whole new way of building your Sims and building your families so it doesn't carry over." No families or content from The Sims 3 are compatible with The Sims 4, but Vaughn hopes that players will be able to quickly recreate their favorite loved ones within the new editing tools detailed in the video above. "With the new tools, they're really tactile and creative, and I think people are going to be able to recreate their families really quickly," he says. This could potentially be a big issue for players who have stuck with the game since 2009 and formed a close bond with their Sims, or for those who have purchased the numerous add-ons issued by EA over the years. The Sims 4 was announced in early May for PC and Mac, with a vague launch window of 2014. The latest game, which includes a full single-player offline component, once again tasks players with managing the lives of virtual people within a simulated community.
Gamescom trailers and screenshots giga-post
Psst, hey kid. You want some ... trailers? How about some Gamescom trailers? C'mere for a second. Yeah that's right, we got all kinds of trailers. Murasaki Baby, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Resogun, Infamous: Second Son, Watch Dogs, pretty much any kind of trailer you wanna put in your eyeballs, we can hook it up. Hey, and you know what? Since you seem like a nice kid, we're gonna throw in some screenshots too. Oh no, put your wallet away – the first one's free.
How The Sims got its same-sex relationships [update]
Update: While Graham originally called out lead engineer Jamie Doornbos as the one responsible for same-sex relationships in The Sims, it was actually one of the general engineers, Patrick J. Barrett III, who added it in. The article has been updated accordingly. The Sims was one of the earliest mainstream video games to include actionable same-sex relationships when it launched in 2000. Rather than being a concerted effort on the part of developer EA Maxis, the equal-opportunity Woohoo (a euphemism for sex in the game) was implemented by engineer Patrick J. Barrett III – an openly gay man who had a reputation for getting the programming done. "He just did it," said David "Rez" Graham, The Sims 4 lead AI programmer and a panelist at EA's GaymerX panel on creating more LGBT-inclusive experiences this past weekend. "He just went in there and it was a thing one day" and "nobody really questioned it, which was cool."
Clearing the 'hump of assumptions' in making LGBT inclusive games
A "hump of assumptions" can stand in the way of creating and including lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender characters in video games today, said David Gaider, lead writer for the Dragon Age series at BioWare. Speaking on an EA-populated panel at GaymerX in San Francisco today, Gaider and colleagues addressed the importance of heeding the demand for diversity and, more plainly, "reflecting humanity" in modern games. Hesitation over tackling LGBT issues, Gaider said, can come from pessimistic assumptions made – both by creators and marketers – about how the audience will react. One of BioWare's earliest gay characters, Juhani in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, was practically snuck into the game. "I think for a long time it was just assumed that nobody would accept it," he said. "That's what the mentality was. It's not like we went and tried to ask permission or anything - we kind of hid it. She never says, 'She was my lover.' She just says, 'We are very close.'" Not explicitly addressing the topic, however, "seemed like a very obvious exclusion" to Gaider. BioWare's next role-playing game, Jade Empire, was less subtle in its depiction of a same-sex relationship, and it faced far less resistance than the team had assumed. There was no long conversation after the team asked, "Why don't we just make the romances available to both genders?" According to Gaider, "that was the whole conversation."
EA: The Sims 4 is a 'single-player offline experience'
An announcement for The Sims 4 confirms the game will include a single-player component playable offline. With SimCity's tumultuous launch fresh on the brain, the news of offline gameplay is undoubtedly welcomed by fans. Not much else is said about the upcoming sequel in the press release, other than a promise of "new and intuitive tools" with which players can connect with their Sims. There will also be some kind of sharing functionality. The Sims 4 was announced earlier today and is currently in development at The Sims Studio at EA's Redwood City headquarters. The Sims 4 will launch on PC and Mac in 2014.
The Sims 4 announced for 2014 on PC, Mac
Maxis announced The Sims 4 this morning, coming to PC and Mac in 2014. More details are due later today, EA said. "The Sims franchise is fueled by the passion and creativity of its millions of fans around the world," reads EA's announcement. "Their continued devotion to the franchise ignites the fire of creativity of the team at The Sims Studio, driving them to continually improve and innovate on one of the world's most successful simulation game that has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide." [Image source: @CurtisParadis]
