Valeria: Welcome to the Fifth 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 today are: [QT]Antarion, [QT]Elm, and [QT]Crashter. They are easily recognizable by the [QT] in front of their names.

Valeria: I will be your moderator today. 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.

MaxisTigger: Diane "Tigger" Migliaccio, Online community Rep for TSO :)
MaxisChris: Hi. I'm Chris Trottier. I'm a designer on TSO. I love questions. There's no question too big or small.
MaxisShannon: Hiya guys!! My name is Shannon Copur. I am a content and tuning producer on The Sims Online.
MaxisGordon: I'm Gordon Walton, Exec Producer on TSO, and all rumors of my tyranny are overstated
petenic99: Hey All! Pete Nichols - Software Engineer.
MaxisKyle: I'm Kyle Brink, community guy on The Sims Online. I work with Tigger to keep the players and developers as close together as possible.

gina_galapagos: How is the game as it stands now similar to or different from what you all envisioned when you first started with the project? If it's quite different, do you see those differences growing still more as the game progresses?
MaxisChris: It's *much* different!
MaxisChris: When we first started talking about TSO, we just wanted to give players a simple way to connect houses with each other...
MaxisChris: with some minor bit of navigation... we saw this project taking under a year! ;)
MaxisChris: There was no economy, very little persistence, and we designed around assuming that it would be quite hackable.
MaxisChris: If you've played TSO, you know that we've had a *radical* shift in goals from that. That was almost three years ago now! ;)
MaxisChris: And, yes, absolutely, I think that while we have many ideas for directions TSO can go from here...
MaxisChris: the future will likely surprise all of us, as it will largely depend on which directions the players take it.
MaxisChris: The players are really the owners of TSO. We're here to make sure we give you enough systems and tools to support it. :)

MooseWare: What objects can we create with the workbench's create interaction?
MaxisShannon: Right now you can create Gnomes and sell them.
MaxisShannon: But down the road you will be able to create custom objects and pull in your creations through the workbench. Once your Sims has crafted them in the game, they will appear in your inventory.

Raptor-CV: How many of the current bugs (property resets, object errors, visit money bonuses, etc.) are going to be fixed for the launch?
MaxisGordon: We have a version up on Test Center that fixes several of the issues mentioned which will be moving to the cities before launch, and another version right behind it
MaxisGordon: that fixes even more (and even adds some new stuff)
MaxisGordon: We will be operating on the game continuously, just like other large scale multiplayer games. :)

Crashster: What types of things will be added to the Simolian Menu?
MaxisShannon: We will be adding an income and expenses to the budget window.
MaxisShannon: That will include a more in-depth information on how you make and spend your Simoleons.

Frogqqqslek: Will The Sims Online be at E3?
MaxisGordon: I'm sure we will be at E3, but those plans are not set yet for EA so I don't have the details.

Frogqqqslek: Are there any plans for more Romantic-type objects?
MaxisChris: Absolutely. Fans of the expansion packs already have some idea what's coming there...
MaxisChris: There's a heart-shaped hot tub with special romantic interactions...
MaxisChris: a tent with romantic interactions...
MaxisChris: changing booths... I could go on and on. Take a look at Hot Date for some of the objects that we will be looking to convert to The Sims Online eventually. :)

MattH: you mention new objects? could you elaberate more on that
petenic99: Lots of really cool stuff on the way!
petenic99: Casino Objects - Blackjack, Roulette, Slot Machines.
petenic99: Also a Spades Game.
petenic99: Clothing Racks will allow you to buy and sell outfits - Dressers will let you manage your wardrobe.
petenic99: Clothing Racks will also give you access to user-created custom content.

CrysaK: Basically, I'd like to see couples in TSO have more interactions with one another. Having more unique relationships. For example, if you and her cuddle alot, or kiss alot, or do alot of interactions that involve care or love, could we gain new special moves that you can only do with this person?
MaxisChris: This is a cool idea. Maybe something to look at as we start converting more romantic interactions from Hot Date.
MaxisChris: At the moment, there are two interactions that you can *only* do with friends: Propose and Secret Handshake.
MaxisChris: Right now, most of the social interactions are unlocked by gaining skill or getting more incoming friends, but once you've earned them, you can use them on anyone.

Kevlar: What are the founder's objects called?
MaxisKyle: Founders will always have a special icon marking any Sim they create.
MaxisKyle: In addition, any existing Sims at launch will receive a Simmy award, which no other Sim can have. This can be proudly displayed wherever you live to show that your Sim is truly "old school."
MaxisKyle: The Simmy is an award we gave out long ago for the best Sims players on TheSims.com. We felt it was only appropriate to recognize the Founders in the same way.

moo_UOSS: Will there be a limit to how many items a person can purchase wholesale for their store?
MaxisChris: Well, the standard object limits will still apply to store owners. Right now, there's an object limit per-person (which will increase with the age of your account).
MaxisChris: And there's also an object limit per property (actually, it looks at the number of tiles on your property).
MaxisChris: Both of these numbers are set to ensure maximum system performance.
MaxisChris: It is likely that the property limit will increase as performance gets better.
MaxisChris: Other than that, there are no special limits for store owners.

ZackStorm: I have tried to make a sim in AlphaVille. It locked up and when I tried it again and I could not get my origanol name back. Do you plan on letting ppl have their names back eventualy?
MaxisGordon: We have cleared some of those names in a test, but people had to delete their current Sim to get the new name. We do not have a name change facility planned yet, so there is no near-term good news for this. :(
MaxisGordon: In the normal course of events, a deleted Sim would have the name brought back into the game about 90 days after the Sim player quits the game.

Raptor-CU: Will there be a journal feature, similar to the one in Ultima Online, to make conversations easier to read?
MaxisShannon: I'm right there with ya!!
MaxisShannon: I think it will be extremely useful to have a chat history.
MaxisShannon: I am pullin' and pushin' to get this feature in.

SassyBree: How do we use the skin files by Maxis in TSO to make different skins using the existing meshes, I know how to use the .far files in the original game, but I am clueless on how to use the .dat files.
petenic99: Custom Content is a really important part of the future of TSO! We'll be providing an easy interface for players to create their own skins and submit them to the game.

gina_galapagos: Can you explain a bit how custom content will work? Will designs be reviewed by Maxis before they're introduced to the game, or will the upload be instant?
MaxisChris: At the moment, we do not plan to review content before it's put in the game.
MaxisChris: We will set groundrules for appropriate content, and it is a player's responsibility to follow them. Like other terms of service, intentionally breaking these rules would be followed up on appropriately.
MaxisChris: As far as quality control (some skins might not be as finely rendered), our assumption is that players will be less likely to buy the ones of lower quality, so there will be fewer of them in the world.
MaxisChris: However, we do realize that this is a very tricky issue and are working with the community right now to determine the appropriate guidelines.
MaxisChris: If you have some ideas on the topic, please post them on the backstage threads. It would help a lot. :)

CrysaK: Would love to be able to own a parrot or a hamster...That contributes to room attributes and improves your fun. Or how about a pet rat? Would be a fun feature.
MaxisGordon: We do want to add Pets, but it is a much bigger undertaking that it might seem at first glance. We have the Unleashed assets in your installation and will working on this a few months down the road.

SassyBree: Will there be any change to the tip jars? The way they are now could be improved a LOT.
MaxisChris: There is one change planned to tip jars right now: adding the owner's name to the pie menu.
MaxisChris: So when you go to tip someone, the menu will say, "Tip Joe." Seems like it would help to know who you're tipping... especially when you go to the props where all eight roommates have a jar out!
MaxisChris: We also have an idea about making signs more usable... showing the text on rollover.
MaxisChris: So instead of having to walk up to the sign, just to find out that it says, "Please tip," you can get that feedback right away. :)

moo_UOSS: Will there be special items we can give to people, such as candy or flowers?
MaxisChris: Ding ding ding! Moo found my favorite question. What's his/her prize?
MaxisChris: We have several gift racks on the CD (flowers, candy, jewelry, etc.)...
MaxisChris: People who have played Hot Date have some idea what they do. Basically, the store owner stocks them with merchandise (3 teddy bears, 2 masks, etc.).
MaxisChris: And then people visit the store, purchase gifts for their friend...
MaxisChris: and once they give the gift to the friend, they can be stored in "souveneir racks" where anyone can see who gave them what presents and what note they included...
MaxisChris: So I might come to your house and see that Jerry got you a giant bouquet of red roses whereas Hank just got you some yellow carnations. ;)
MaxisChris: This design hasn't been posted on the boards yet, so you heard it here first. Watch the boards for more info.

MooseWare: What is to prevent someone from creating a custom object and having it take away all your hunger, which would cause you to die?
petenic99: The key thing to understand is that custom objects will only have custom art - not custom behavior. It's what we refer to as a "mimic

Frimsah: Will Sims age throughout the game, and if so, will death be a part of the game?
MaxisTigger: Death is a design posted on our design forums currently.
MaxisTigger: Sims can die via starving to death, drowning if energy motive bottoms out while in a swimming pool or by electrocution (while repairing certain electrical objects as specificed individually)
MaxisTigger: To read more about this you must have an active beta account: https://player.thesimsonline.ea.com/popup.jsp?key=backstage_drawingboard_death

Crashster: Would it be possible to get the ability to serve drinks to tables, counters, etc?
MaxisChris: Good question. You've probably noticed that right now, serving a meal to someone who is seated involves a little bit of an akward dance...
MaxisChris: Lots of standing and reseating and reclicking involved. These are the kinds of akward moments that we too look forward to finessing over time.
MaxisChris: I would think we'd want to fix the meal one first and then work on the drinks one once we get some of the big long bars like you'd see in a real club into the game.
MaxisChris: Good thinking.

MattH: neighborhoods seem to be coming soon, but when? and what real benefits will it hold
MaxisChris: Believe me, we're tracking daily progress on neighborhoods. To give you a specific day would sell the engineers short. They're literally at work until 3 and 4 in the morning most days.
MaxisChris: So when we say "as soon as possible," it's because we know that someone is really working hard on this. :)
MaxisChris: The first part of neighborhoods that you see will be simply a basic structure for organizing and declaring neighborhood names.
MaxisChris: Where it goes from there will be shaped by a conversation with the community. We're already seeing some really cool websites devoted to neighborhoods. We're *thrilled* to see this kind of initiative and look forward to developing more and more meaning there over time.

Crashster: Any plans for a way to communicate with Sims while outside of the game? (i.e. an external messenger)
MaxisTigger: Crash Great question! Many people ask about this and we are working on a web UI that lets you check your in-game messages outside of the game. =)

MooseWare: Will it be possible to pass money over a counter? This could be important at a restaurant, bar, or hotel.
MaxisChris: Moose is the role-player in the crowd! A moose after my own heart. ;)
MaxisChris: Before we get to finesses like that, we will be working to give players the ability to trade objects securely.
MaxisChris: This will open up all kinds of behavior: resale of used objects, giving people presents, trading who owns what among roommates, etc.
MaxisChris: Looking forward to the day when we can work through some of the cool in-game flourishes to make the experience feel more and more real, as you suggest. :)

CrysaK: Surely some Sims out there have clumsy feet...How about having a Sim trip over things once in awhile, or having a Sim fall down the stairs. Comical really :P
MaxisTigger: Crysak, wonderful suggestion! I will make sure this gets passed on to the proper people =) We love suggestions sometimes our players come up with things we never thought of

Crashster: Can I still join the playtest, or is it too late to be a teser?
MaxisTigger: YES!!!! Come play with us!! To do so....
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
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: http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=1640
MaxisTigger: 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!

Valeria: Thank you everyone for taking the time to attend today's HOC and a special thank you to everyone from Maxis for taking the time out of their very busy schedule to be here. As always we are grateful :)

Valeria: The logs will be posted at http://sims.stratics.com. Feel free to join #sims-online for further discussion :)

MaxisTigger: Thank you fantastic questions today!!

MaxisKyle: Glad to see you all again!

MaxisChris: Thanks for coming, everyone. Great questions.

petenic99: Thanks everybody - See ya all online!