Home Gaming The Sims: Swimming pools are really, really hard to do

The Sims: Swimming pools are really, really hard to do

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sims-pool

As we all already know, The Sims 4 will be released without the ability to drown your Sims in a hate-filled digital pool. It sounds like an easy thing to implement, but according to EA it really isn’t. As far as technical challenges go, it it seems to be on par with animating female assassins or other insurmountable, wholly impossible tasks

“It’s easy to look at something and think, ‘That looks pretty simple.’” producer Graham Nardone told Kotaku, “When you think about a feature like pools upfront, it looks like a square box on the ground and you put a shader on the top surface and have Sims jump in.”

“But ultimately, it’s more complexity in terms of what tech’s there and what isn’t there, what we have to build to support this. How do we cut down into the terrain, how do we get Sims going through portals across different levels of pools? There’s so much that’s going on in the background that you don’t end up seeing just to have a Sim go swimming.”

See? Really quite the task. But will pools eventually be added to the game? Based on fan feedback, very probably.

“It’s not a matter of it not being important to us or our focus not being in the right place. As we chat with fans and they continue to inform us of what they want, they’re obviously interested in pools and toddlers. They want those in the game. So we’ll continue to listen to feedback, something we’ve always done with The Sims.”

As it is an EA game, there’s the expectation that pools and babies will come via some form of DLC, or perhaps even two bits of paid-for content. On that subject, Nardone became a little evasive

“I’d really just say look at what we’ve done in the past. We’ve had a variety of different ways we’ve delivered content to players, and I think we’ll continue to support what they’re looking for.”

Last Updated: August 12, 2014

68 Comments

  1. Ragnar The Vengeful

    August 12, 2014 at 11:37

    What have they done in the past except for launching a Beta build and you have to pay extra for the full game? Who cares anyway? Sims is only for casual gamers and kids.

    Reply

    • Dutch Matrix

      August 12, 2014 at 12:16

      Ragnar the Vengeful should change his name to Ragnar the Uninformed…

      Reply

      • Ragnar The Vengeful

        August 12, 2014 at 13:04

        Dutch Matrix should change his name to Dutch “The Kid” Matrix. Just joking buddy, I was wondering how long it’ll take before someone takes the bait. lol

        In which area did you find me least informed? The preplanned DLC jibe or the Sims fan base remark?

        Reply

  2. Admiral Chief Beta Tester

    August 12, 2014 at 11:38

    • Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

      August 12, 2014 at 12:04

      looooooooool

      Reply

  3. Admiral Chief Beta Tester

    August 12, 2014 at 11:38

  4. Hammersteyn

    August 12, 2014 at 11:38

    So they are saying that Battlefield can have a ocean with waves and huge ships in it but Sims can’t have a concrete hole with water in it? I’m sure they will figure it out. Of course all the extra hours they put into this will require remuneration

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief Beta Tester

      August 12, 2014 at 11:42

      Of course they are off course with their thinking!

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        August 12, 2014 at 11:47

        Hows the Beta going 😛

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief Beta Tester

          August 12, 2014 at 12:34

          Not too bad actually

          Reply

  5. Rinceable

    August 12, 2014 at 11:40

    Eh? They can’t put pools in THIS game, but could in others? I call BULLSHIT.

    Reply

    • Andre116

      August 12, 2014 at 13:27

      More perplexing…when did you become staff???

      Reply

  6. Kikmi

    August 12, 2014 at 11:40

    Oh my fucking christ. Why do folk even put up with this shit? Its EA’s casual opener to the gaming market, one of their most beloved and followed titles. We can do oodles of destruction across an entire city in battlefield 4, create gritty and intense worlds in Dead Space BUT WE CANT FUCKING MAKE A POOL????!?!? *flips table*

    Reply

  7. Umar

    August 12, 2014 at 11:47

    • Hammersteyn

      August 12, 2014 at 11:48

      Hahahaha, didn’t even require a ladder to get out.

      Reply

      • Umar

        August 12, 2014 at 11:49

        Back in the day, us hard working folks used our bare hands to climb out of the pool. The new age sims sure are spoilt

        Reply

        • Kensei Seraph

          August 12, 2014 at 11:53

          Can you imagine the level of sloth in our society if we had portals to get in and out of pools?
          *has flahsback of WallE and Idiocracy*

          Reply

          • Umar

            August 12, 2014 at 11:55

            Idiocracy lol Nice one, would love to watch that movie again

  8. ZombieDogma

    August 12, 2014 at 11:48

    The strangest part of this is how they’re blaming the issue on “not enough time/resources”. It kind of seems like they’re shifting blame onto the consumer, like it’s our fault they set the deadline too early. I’d much rather they just finished it before they released it.

    It does feel like this is just a way to later sell content that should have just come with the game.

    Reply

  9. Kensei Seraph

    August 12, 2014 at 11:51

    “I’d really just say look at what we’ve done in the past.”
    Paid for DLC confirmed.

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      August 12, 2014 at 11:57

      ka-ching!

      Reply

    • Lardus-Resident Perve

      August 12, 2014 at 12:55

      Umm, paid for Beta testing followed by paid for buggy DLC required to finish the game.

      Reply

  10. Viking Of Science

    August 12, 2014 at 11:53

    But Even Goat Simulator has Water and Swimming….

    Reply

    • Rinceable

      August 12, 2014 at 11:54

      But ONLY for goats…

      Reply

      • Viking Of Science

        August 12, 2014 at 11:55

        What so goats are easier to make swim than people?

        Reply

        • Rinceable

          August 12, 2014 at 11:59

          Ummm, it’s okay to let goats drown? *Scratches head, Ummm.

          Reply

        • Kensei Seraph

          August 12, 2014 at 11:59

          There’s no need to do alternative animations.

          Reply

  11. VampyreSquirrel

    August 12, 2014 at 11:54

    They’ve had pools/water in multiple games… so how hard can it be? 😛

    Reply

    • Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

      August 12, 2014 at 11:57

      This is what I can’t understand. It’s always been there in every engine and now they don’t know how to implement it? Like, how do you dig down in to the terrain? Well I dunno. Look at your previous games for that answer people

      Reply

      • VampyreSquirrel

        August 12, 2014 at 12:00

        Exactly! It has worked for ages, how much has changed in this engine that has made this so damned difficult? And why does it affect the babies too? lol

        Reply

        • Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

          August 12, 2014 at 12:01

          The complexities of having portals for the baby to go from the womb to the outside was too difficult….

          Reply

  12. Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

    August 12, 2014 at 11:55

    I bet the very first user made mod introduces pools and it would take the modder a few days at most.

    Any takers?

    Reply

    • Kensei Seraph

      August 12, 2014 at 12:01

      I bet it takes 2 days for the first pool mod and that within the first month at least 2 pool mods are released.

      Reply

      • Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

        August 12, 2014 at 12:03

        Yep. The nude mod on the other hand will take less than an hour 😛

        Reply

        • Kensei Seraph

          August 12, 2014 at 12:04

          It’ll probably be out before the game is even released.

          Reply

        • Rinceable

          August 12, 2014 at 12:04

          Haha. True dat.

          Reply

        • Dutch Matrix

          August 12, 2014 at 12:11

          The nude mod is allready there. The modder is just waiting for the Sims 4 to ship…

          Reply

  13. Alien Emperor Trevor

    August 12, 2014 at 11:55

    GAMEZ! THEY SO HARD!

    Maybe you should approach it like a really big bath tub in the ground, outside.

    Reply

  14. Spaffy

    August 12, 2014 at 12:00

    Sims 5 will probably come without the sims.

    Reply

    • Rinceable

      August 12, 2014 at 12:00

      HAHAHA! Pay per character?

      Reply

      • Spaffy

        August 12, 2014 at 12:00

        Exactly. 😛

        Reply

        • Rinceable

          August 12, 2014 at 12:01

          Shut it! EA are listening/watching!

          Reply

          • Spaffy

            August 12, 2014 at 12:02

            And you can buy simoleons with real cash… o_0

          • Rinceable

            August 12, 2014 at 12:04

            GAHHH!

          • Kensei Seraph

            August 12, 2014 at 12:05

            Sims 6 will feature pay per brick.
            It will be cheaper to build a new house for you to live in than to build a house for your Sim.

          • Spaffy

            August 12, 2014 at 12:07

            Well, with the cost of the gazillion DLC that’ll come out the next 5 yrs, you could probably build one.

          • Kensei Seraph

            August 12, 2014 at 12:09

            Or just buy the physical copies and use the cases to build your house.

          • Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

            August 12, 2014 at 12:10

            Just not a pool. Because those aren’t possible.

          • Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

            August 12, 2014 at 12:06

            And you have cooldown timers for building rooms. Only 1 or 2 rooms per day…

          • Kensei Seraph

            August 12, 2014 at 12:06

            Week*

  15. Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

    August 12, 2014 at 12:02

    Hey EA. If you can’t dig in to the terrain then just make a really big bath with a differant texture outside. You get such a thing as raised pools.

    http://www.signatureoutdoorconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/CIMG3822-569×427.jpg

    Reply

    • HvR - Still dislikes Random.or

      August 12, 2014 at 12:29

      You beat me to it. Fokken genius pappie.

      Reply

      • Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

        August 12, 2014 at 12:33

        Great minds and all that. But I see @disqus_DoEH3TsffU:disqus beat both of us

        Reply

  16. Wyzak

    August 12, 2014 at 12:14

    Coming to a DLC near you.

    Reply

  17. HvR - Still dislikes Random.or

    August 12, 2014 at 12:23

    Problem:
    “It’s easy to look at something and think, ‘That looks pretty simple.’” producer Graham Nardone told Kotaku, “When you think about a feature like pools upfront, it looks like a square box on the ground and you put a shader on the top surface and have Sims jump in.”

    “But ultimately, it’s more complexity in terms of what tech’s there and what isn’t there, what we have to build to support this. How do we cut down into the terrain, how do we get Sims going through portals across different levels of pools? There’s so much that’s going on in the background that you don’t end up seeing just to have a Sim go swimming.”

    Solution (that is why I get paid the big bucks):

    Reply

  18. HvR - Still dislikes Random.or

    August 12, 2014 at 12:26

    This colonial capitalist bastads who wants to have the pools.
    I say give Sims Kinect support and let the bastads dig their own pools.

    Reply

  19. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    August 12, 2014 at 13:21

    Hahahahah! This is really the Sims tablet version in a reskin. Oh EA! You suck so hard!

    Reply

  20. DrKiller

    August 12, 2014 at 14:32

    EA – Known for releasing half-completed games

    Reply

  21. DrKiller

    August 12, 2014 at 14:32

    I’m not sure why the swimming pool is that complex…. We had it in Sims 1, 2 and 3… ITS ALREADY THERE

    Reply

  22. Brady miaau

    August 12, 2014 at 15:51

    You telling me. Always with the chemicals and the checking. And the size of ours at home, too big for large, too small for extra large. Swimming pools can be a pain. AND you have to look after them even when not in use.

    Reply

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