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| Fourth Sims Online House of Commons, December 07, 2002 |
Valeria: Welcome to the Fourth The Sims Online House of Commons Chat!
Valeria: This chat will be in a moderated format. To ask a question of the Maxis Staff, please /msg or /query one of the question takers that are listed in the topic of the channel. These question takers will then present the questions to the Maxis development/community/programming team here with us this evening.
Valeria: Our question takers tonight are: [QT]Elm, [QT]Kiir, and [QT]Nuke. They are easily recognizable by the [QT] in front of their names.
Valeria: I will be your moderator tonight. I will post your question into the House of Commons chat channel and the team will answer those that they can.
Valeria: Please remember that your question may have been asked previously or may not be able to be answered in a public forum. Please do not message or query myself or anyone from Maxis as these questions will be ignored.
Valeria: While we are waiting for questions, let's give our guests a chance to briefly introduce themselves.
MaxisGordon Hi, I'm Gordon Walton, Exec Producer for The Sims Online, former UO and Kesmai Tyrant
MaxisChris Hi, I'm Chris Trottier. I'm a designer. Bring those Q's on!
MaxisPaul Hi, I'm Paul Boyle, Software Engineer, Object Programmer, and maker of shiny things on The Sims Online team.
MaxisTigger Hiyas! MaxisTigger here, TSO Online Community Rep.
MaxisDallas Hi, I'm Maxis Dallas, Online Community Rep for TSO!
N1Hawk: Are you going to be doing TV Advertising for TSO? So People will ask about it in Stores, because I work for a computer store and sim fans don't know about it!!!
MaxisGordon Yes we are. I dare say you won't get through Christmas without seeing TSO on TV
Blink: will seasonal objects be in the game? like christmas trees?
MaxisPaul Yes, though you may not see any this holiday season. But there are definitely going to be some, I've got a few in the pipeline already.
Kad: Maxis released design documents for "custom content", what types of custom content has you considered developing for the programmers and non-artistic designers in the community? Some examples might be , Player-made CCG game decks, or even input-output system, where web-based cgi scripts could take your text and username, interpret it, and return text to you, could also be used for making message boards/dictionaries/the
MaxisChris Sounds like you should dig into some of the game components already in TSO...
MaxisChris For example, there is a deck of cards that you can customize completely...
MaxisChris balls, target. Lots of stuff to make your own games. My personal favorite is to run sitcom trivia talk shows using them. ;)
MaxisChris also, the cool thing about custom content is that although only a few people create it, everyone benefits! I couldn't paint my way out of a box, but I love cruising content others have created. :)
SassyBree: How long of a grace period do playtesters have after the release to register before their sims are deleted?
MaxisTigger Every playtester will get a 2 week credit after launch, and then they have 30 days to register their retial copy to claim their Sim....
MaxisTigger Even if you reigster your copy immediately, you get the two weeks + the 30 days that comes with a copy of the game.
MaxisTigger We are working on a plan to help overseas testers stay in the game until it launches in their territory.
MaxisTigger So they keep their founder status too. :)
Frank_Weindel-Interhogan: What are some of the upcoming features and/or objects that we will be getting in the next few weeks?
MaxisPaul Well, right now we're already putting the finishing work on the Band Object.. you may not see it for a while still, it's very complex and needs a lot of testing, even more complex than Pizza. But it's coming, as fast as we can give it to you
MaxisPaul You'll also be getting the founders object, and watch for a surprise around the new year!
Jypsi: How will you increase socialization or role playing with the never ending quest for higher skills and more money?
MaxisChris Excellent question! This is our top design goal right now.
MaxisChris If you're playing in the test, check out all the "property category" docs that we've posted. I'll summarize quickly here.
MaxisChris Next step for property categories will to have lots that are not dedicated to skill and money gain have *much more relaxed* motive loss.
MaxisChris What this means is that you can spend much more of your time hanging out, role-playing, socializing, etc. without worrying so much about the game. It's "break time."
MaxisChris Next step will be to vary the financial rewards by property category. For example, the cap on visitor bonus may be much higher for "game" or "entertainment" lots than it is for "money" lots.
MaxisChris This means that it will be financially viable to *run* one of those properties.
MaxisChris Last step will be to allow players to rate the quality of a lot. So imagine someone designs an amazingly cool game on their lot that doesn't take long to complete. We will have a way of capturing that and rewarding it.
MaxisChris How I do go on. Anyway, read the docs on the baord. ;)
JousterL: Will there be a queue line for full properties so you don't have to sit there clicking multiple times, trying to get in?
MaxisGordon Well, soon if you are a roommate, you will always get in.
MaxisGordon For really popular properties, as a visitor it may continue to be tough.
MaxisGordon We will probably up the overall limit soon though.
MaxisGordon Which will help some.
Alexis_Jade: Can you give us an ideas as to when the clothing racks and such will be released? Before or after the release?
MaxisGordon That won't be until next year unfortunately, we will do it as soon as we can though!
RazorBurn: Will there be alternative homes available, such as a cardboard box, or more realistically, a Trailer in a Trailer park?
MaxisPaul You can make your house look like a lot of different things, with some creativity, so if that's what you *really* want, go for it
MaxisPaul I mean, the flamingo object is pretty much tailor made for your trailer park, isn't it?
TSO_Freak: how easy would it be to make custom objects when it becomes possible to publish them?
MaxisChris You could find out right away by visiting some of the existing sims fan sites, where the skins are being exchanged and talking to them.
MaxisChris The quick answer is, it's pretty advanced to create new ones. Modifying existing ones, less so.
MaxisChris But again, the good news is that *everyone* benefits from the people who know how to do it. :)
PARAD0X: can characters get officialy married?
MaxisDallas You can get married in TSO, but how official it is is up to you
MaxisDallas once you get married in TSO, you do not share money, assets, or anything else...unless you decide to of course
MaxisDallas It's the best of all possible worlds. You can get married as many times as you like
MaxisDallas It's like virtual Los Vegas!
[xeno]Nocturne: When are more heads comming? and is there any chance we will be able to change our heads when you add new ones?
MaxisTigger We have an area in Design on our forums currently for this.
MaxisTigger You can check out our backstage area located at https://player.thesimsonline.ea.com/mb_threads.jsp?forum=145
ttiger: Can you give us some more insight on the plans for facilitating the formation and function of sim government? What tools and services will be available? When will such things begin to show up in the game?
MaxisGordon MOMI will never be overthrown I tell you! :) Seriously enabling players to have the most ownership in the world is a big goal of ours.
MaxisGordon Will Wright has spent a lot of cycles against this and it's something we want. But it's complicated and will take some time to hammer out the design with our community.
MaxisGordon I would expect it really soon, but expect our discussion of the design with the community to start early next year.
MaxisChris Very soon, properties will be able to band together and name their community. We wanted to get that in right away so you could start organizing.
renaissance: the world of most MMORPGs is very large. Will there be any in game feature that allows you to locate and contact friends in different areas?
MaxisChris As Gordon mentions, we will be talking about how to advance those structures and give them more power and meaning next year. :)
MaxisPaul Certainly. The Sims Online is already easier to get around in than your average mmorpg
MaxisPaul You can teleport to whatever house you wish to. And you have top 100 lists and search functionality to find the houses you want to go to
MaxisPaul You can IM/mail your friends, so you can easily set up meetings.. or just have them over to your house.
MaxisPaul This game is more about socialization than it is about making you run over large tracts of empty land.
SeanDINInterhogan: Will there be fires, burglars, etc. In the game?
MaxisGordon We have tried to limit the items in the game that harm your Sim without your consent. I would not expect to see burglers.
MaxisGordon Fire might come in someday, I don't want to say more though...
JaZoNkRoLl: What is your favorite part of the game?
MaxisTigger My favorite part of TSO is helping players who are new to online gaming learn how to play. I also love rearranging my home and getting the community feedback. Plus I never looked so good in a bikini as I do in TSO
MaxisChris Attending player-run events, like open-mic night, poetry contests, weddings, etc.
MaxisGordon I like making money for my roommates to build a cooler house. I'm not much of a dollhouser but like them doing all the decoration.
MaxisPaul I like going in and seeing what effect the objects I've worked on has on people... I only had to sell my soul and 90 hours of my week to get this 'preview' of custom content :)
MaxisTigger lol
Draconius: Will 2 people be able to share property ownership of a lot? Like, both being able to add roomates and stuff?
MaxisGordon Interesting idea, but not part of current plans. You will see more permisssion options for roommates though soon.
RazorBurn: Will my career impact other peoples careers? Is there any relation between economy?
MaxisChris Absolutely. At the simplest level, having other people visit your property is your easiest path to financial success...
MaxisChris Pricing of objects will soon be tied directly to supply and demand...
MaxisChris Figuring out services to offer, such as repair, (for pay from other players) or services to offer, such as entertainment, (to charge other players to use, continues to be a primary strategy.)
MaxisChris We're also looking at ways to develop more "roles" that you take on in-game, based on your specific set of skills that give you uniquely valuable services you can provide that other people may be willing to pay for (like bringing people back to life or being the cosmetician who changes their face). Watch for more ideas on the design boards.
ZidaneCT: Is there a big effort to end most of those bluescreens? I can't get past create-the-sims screen, I keep getting Error 28 I believe. I can't use the messeges boards also because of this. Is there a planned update that would fix most of these problems? any idea when this would be released? I would really like to play the game... Thanks for your time.
MaxisGordon PLEASE go to thesimsonline.com, go to the installation link and into the technical help area. Use the Live chat to get some help from our tech support team.
MaxisGordon You should also hit the options on login, and verify your installation
MaxisGordon good luck! We need you in playing too!
Blink: Can we have mini games like chess and pool? Things that are already in the game but only for us to watch.
MaxisPaul My fellow programmers and I have actually talked a lot about minigames. We're already coming out with games like the band object, and eventually the casino games. And we'd love to work on more. It's all a matter of deciding what features can get done now and how long they take, because, given infinite time, we'd love to work on all these things.
MaxisPaul So, support the game, support the things you want in the game, and we'll listen!
CrysaK: Will we ever have weather effects in TSO?
MaxisChris We don't have anything immediately on the horizon for this. But did you know that you can make your property *sound* like it's raining, thundering, etc? Check it out in the property panel. :)
Jypsi: Will I be able to install the retail game on more than one computer, say my PC and my laptop for when I travel?
MaxisGordon Yes, you can install your discs on several computers. The key is your account can only be played on one at a time.
MaxisGordon We don't want you to leave TSO behind after all!
Kad: Just a clarification of my earlier question on non-artistic custom content. I use the content that is in the game. What I'm talking about is customizable objects you can sell. I was only using an example, the collectable card deck Decks, player makes them, sells them, others can compete with them, IE: YU-GI-OH decks you buy at your local gaming store, aStandard deck of cards, or even baseball cards.
MaxisChris Okay, so probably not going to have anything soon w/ the rarity of those games. However, one of the *early* designs for the customizable card deck supported players who had invested time in coming up w/ a brilliant set of Q's...
MaxisChris to "clone" the deck and sell it to other players. The deck would track who the original creator was for authenticity's sake... We won't take this step with this object, though, until we see people doing really compelling things with the card deck...
MaxisChris So spread the word. Make amazing games. :)
MaxisChris Also, once we get secure trading, we'd like to support property trades. This will allow you to create an amazing property and then sell it (and the stuff on it) to another player. Consider it an "architect" career.
Kanten: Will we ever be able to import custom songs with our houses that would be played to everyone there?
MaxisGordon I don't think we want to get Napsterized, so no unfortunately.
FluffieIAm: Will Maxis ever remove friend balloon limit?
MaxisChris FYI, you can currently customize the songs that play on your own machine by dropping content into the music folders...
MaxisChris Fluffie, we're following the boards closely on this one...
MaxisChris It seems that most players are seeing the friendship web as a bookmarking system.
MaxisChris But since we have such strong incentives tied to having a certain number of incoming friends...
MaxisChris such a more socials (particularly ones that allow you to directly affect other player's motives)...
MaxisChris And since we're seeing a lot of players successfully navigate the friendship game (check out the "Most Liked" Top 100 List... It's pretty impressive)...
MaxisChris We will probably keep it where it is for the time being...
MaxisChris Talk to the people on the Top 100 list and ask them how they earned so many links!
Simbusiness24: IF Someone Were To Have A Custom Made Skin (when it's possible) will we have to download it to the computer or does it work like a site?
MaxisPaul A site does download the content to your computer, or you wouldn't be allowed to view it.
MaxisPaul Whether that content would persist after you'd gotten it will probably work like your web browser as well... you'd keep a certain amount of content, to save you from having to download it over and over
MaxisPaul But things you didn't use often, would get deleted.
MaxisPaul Of course, the system isn't in place yet, so we'll tweak it to give you the best, fastest experience possible when it is.
MaxisPaul Hopefully that answers your technical concerns (I dunno if there are legal ones with the issue, but, I'm not a lawyer anyway :) )
CrysaK: Will there ever be new Sim Skills so that we can create more diverse Sims?
MaxisChris Hi, CrysaK. Before we add any new skills, we'd like to first add more meaning to the existing skills...
MaxisChris In particular, we're looking at how we might start using "combinations of skills" to further define roles.
MaxisChris We'll be posting more info on that later on the design boards.
FERRETag6: can you make it so art objects increase in value instead of decrease??
MaxisChris Oh, boy. Be careful what you ask for...
MaxisChris In The Sims, art objects went up or down fairly randomly...
MaxisChris In TSO, they behave like all other objects, but...
MaxisChris all objects' prices in the future will fluctuate based on the number of them in the world already...
MaxisChris So there will be two values to your objects: the in-game value of sell-back... and the resale value.
MaxisChris This will be fun to tune. :)
beans: How can I get in the beta test is it to late?
MaxisTigger If you want to join our test you should order the free disks (no shipping charges in the USA and Canada) at this link:
MaxisTigger http://secure.dotcomdist.com/maxemail.htm or ..
MaxisTigger Interested people should order these immediately since our test ends soon. Or if you have broadband you can download it free at these links:
MaxisTigger http://www.fileplanet.com/files/110000/114584.shtml
MaxisTigger or .....
MaxisTigger http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=1640
MaxisGordon Even if you get a test discs too late for launch, it will still give you a two week free trial period btw.
MaxisTigger Bottom line, if you register and play before we launch, you are a founder, so hurry!
beans: Tigger's hair scares me, can someone do something about this?
MaxisPaul No, nothing can be done about the hair. Some things are impossible even for us
MaxisTigger giggles, your all just jealous :P
sandwich: can you get your cooking skill up and cook your pet?
MaxisTigger makes a mental note thats a scary question coming from someone named sandwich
MaxisGordon I don't think so. But we really want to get Pets in. They will be super cool, but different than in Unleashed given our game mechanics.
MaxisPaul The future looks cloudy on that subject
Valeria: Thank you everyone for taking the time to attend tonight's HOC and a special thank you to everyone from Maxis for taking the time out of their very busy schedule to be here tonight. As always we are grateful :)
Valeria: Feel free to join #sims-online for further discussion :)
MaxisTigger Thank you Stratics people and everyone that attended, see you in game and on the boards! :)
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