A first preview of what will become The Sims 5 has been revealed! Did you catch the Behind The Sims Summit stream? The end of the stream previewed the long-awaited next iteration of The Sims series, currently titled “Project Rene.”
You can watch the stream here on TheSims Twitch channel and here on The Sims YouTube channel.
The currently title of “Project Rene” is said to be a reflection of words like “renaissance” and “rebirth” representing “the renewal of commitment to The Sims’ future.”
Key Takeaways
The preview of this new version shows several features for a new Build/Buy mode:
- Objects appear to be freely placeable without a grid. (Unknown if this is done via a cheat or default behavior.)
- There is a color wheel, pattern selection, and material selection. Patterns look like they will support up to 4 colors. The “Material” button that is visible was not previewed at all. (This might be used to change reflectivity/shine for the differences between base materials like fabric versus vinyl, for example.)
- Objects have will have individual parts to further customize. A couch is shown changing the number of cushions it has. A bed is also shown, going between single and double sizes, and then having interchangeable headboards and footboards.
- An individual cushion is placed on the couch, rotated into position (on three axis, not just side-to-side) and also height adjusted to sit properly on the couch
- The demo shows where the same room is being edited at the same time on a computer screen and on a smartphone. The game updates in real time on both devices. What appears to be a name tag is displayed where each “player” is working, indicating that cooperative play/building will be possible.
- A “room” is grouped together for sharing. Rather than the physical room, this was done by selecting multiple individual objects in a placement group of some kind.
Keep in mind that this is an “in-development” preview. It’s likely that the interface will change. There could also be further graphical changes as performance is evaluated and tweaked.
Lastly, no sims or Live-Mode gameplay have been shown so far.
You can read the full details of the Behind The Sims Summit here.
