Tag: Maxis

The Sims Is Getting Some Competition From Paradox

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Screenshot: Paradox

Strategy specialists Paradox had the weirdest press show the other week, in which they announced a Sims competitor but didn’t actually say or show anything about it. Now they have.

This is Life By You, an “upcoming, moddable life-sim” being made by Paradox Tectonic:

Life by You – Announce Trailer

That’s a Sims competitor all right! While it might look initially like it’s cutting very close to Maxis’ cloth, Paradox say the big draw here is that Life By You is going hard on creation and customisation suites (harder than The Sims goes, anyway), letting players shape not just their appearance and homes, but their careers and conversations as well.

Open up a new world of creative possibilities in Life by You. Be in total control of the humans that you create, the towns that you build, the stories that you tell. And oh yes – mods! We know life is always better with a heavy sprinkle of your imagination, so we’re empowering you with a wide variety of Creator Tools so you can design your lives the way you see fit – or break the rules of life itself. Designed to be one of the most moddable and open life-simulation games, we look forward to the humans, stories, and creations that you’ll make with Life by You.

Life By You is for the PC only, and will be entering Early Access (on both Steam and the Epic Games Store) on September 12.

It was always a little weird that The Sims has remained unchallenged for so long, considering both its age and immense popularity, but then making these kinds of games is hard work! We’re finally getting some serious competition in the space now though, between this and the promising Paralives, so it’ll be interesting to see what effect all that has on The Sims 5…whenever it releases.

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Luke Plunkett

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March 20, 2023
The Sims 4 Update Adds Trans-Inclusive Top Surgery Body Scar Options

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A substantial update for The Sims 4 dropped on PC and consoles today, and with it comes a new suite of control schemes and customization options. This involves things like hearing aids and shapewear, but one addition is expressly targeted at trans Simmers in an effort to make them feel included and visible.

Developer Maxis took to the game’s official website to break down The Sims 4‘s latest update, which includes chest binders and top surgery scars.

“Under the Body category, all players can find a Body Scars category with an option for Teen and older male Sims (masculine or feminine frame) to add a top surgery scar to their Sims,” the update reads.

“I finally get to see myself in game,” one person tweeted in all caps.

“Top surgery scars and binders?! That’s so cool,” exclaimed another tweeter. “So happy more representation is being added to the game.”

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morph audio

Morph Earphones

SWAPPABLE FACEPLATES
Each set of Morph Earphones is crafted as a wearable street fashion accessory, as they come with swappable faceplates that you can switch out to change up your look at will. Choose from everything from trippy smileys to sakura blossoms and much, much more.

Binders and shapewear can compress someone’s chest or give more curvature to their body. In other words, these articles of clothing act as extra ways for trans folks to feel more comfortable in themselves, especially if they can’t afford or aren’t ready for body-altering surgeries.

“Binders and top surgery scars in base game,” a tweeter asked in all caps. “[Let’s fucking go, this is a] huge dub of the transmascs.”

“Oh my god I’m literally crying,” said another tweeter with crying emojis. “Finally, binders and top surgery! My little trans heart is so happy.”

There are also medical wearables, such as glucose monitors and hearing aids, which makes The Sims 4 all more inclusive for the disability community as well. It’s good shit.

“Binders, top surgery scars, hearing aids, and glucose monitors?” asked one tweeter about this new Sims 4 patch. “This is the best update since we could have feminine clothing on masculine frames and vice versa.”

Kotaku reached out to EA for comment.

The team also added new ways to actually control and interact with the game on console specifically, making navigation easier and bringing it closer to the PC version. All beneficial quality-of-life improvements.

Read More: The Sims 4‘s Big Baby Update Is Looking Promising

Again, this is all extremely good shit. Though, there appear to be some kinks that still need to be ironed out a little bit, like confusion around where things are located and top surgery scars seemingly not populating for some folks. However, that Maxis and, by extension, EA is aware of and acknowledge its trans community in such a representative way makes me feel good. Maybe other studios will follow suit, making trans-inclusive representation something worth investing in and implementing in games.

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Levi Winslow

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January 31, 2023
Sims 4 Gallery Update Removes All Your NSFW Creations

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Screenshot: EA / Kotaku

Ever since mankind figured out various pigments could be smeared on cave walls, humans have drawn cocks on stuff. From the Cerne Abbas Giant to your mom’s bathroom wall, winky and winky-shaped creations appear anywhere anything can be crafted. So it is that the Sims 4 Gallery has been as replete with dicks as the underside of any bridge. Until now.

As spotted by VG247, an update on the official Sims 4 blog reports that it has added a Gallery Profanity Filter Update.

“We are aware of and have seen some select instances of wholly unacceptable content that has been uploaded to The Sims 4 Gallery,” begins the post, like a disappointed principal speaking to the whole school. “Our team has reviewed, and made critical updates to, the profanity filter to help prevent this from happening again in the future.” They’re not asking for pupils to put up hands, but if anyone would like to come forward and confess before they’re caught, it’ll make life easier for all involved.

The Sims 4 Gallery is a place where players of the recently made free-to-play game can share their creations, allowing others to download them and add them to their own game. This might be beautiful pieces of hand-crafted architecture, a specific room to add to a house, or a Sims lady with big boobs and a nice suit. And where creativity is allowed to flourish, rude stuff will appear.

Read More: Sims 4 Update Accidentally Adds Incest

My favorite example of this was when another Will Wright game, Spore, released its free character creator, and immediately “Sporn” was born. Sims creator, Wright, even praised such endeavors, calling them “amazingly explicit.” However, that’s not something The Sims, with its family-friendly image, could ever lean into. No matter how depraved you might be when you play it in the comfort of your own hovel.

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Black Friday

Nintendo Switch Deals

Cyber Monday Deals Start Now
Of the three major consoles on the market today, the Nintendo Switch remains the most approachable and appealing to a wide range of gamers. From casual to more serious players, there is something for everyone.

So it is that Sims 4‘s profanity filters have been given an overhaul, in an attempt to make its Gallery a safe place for kids to browse. EA continues to call on the community for help in policing this, flagging naughty uploads, while the promise “to do our part by quickly taking down objectionable content that surfaces.” They also say they’ll “remove” repeat offenders, and keep “regularly reviewing the profanity filter in case any updates need to be made.”

EA is too shy to give examples of what has found its way to the database, (and it’s not exactly innocent when it comes to adding inappropriate content itself) but it seems fairly safe to bet it’s cocks. It’s always cocks.

Searching through the Gallery this morning, the most offensive content I could find is people’s dress sense. And no cocks at all.

Screenshot: EA / Kotaku

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John Walker

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November 25, 2022