The Sims 4 introduces group conversations

The Sims 4 will be adding in the element of group conversations, thanks to a new feature called SmartSim.

Ozzie Mejia

September 13, 2013 3:15 PM

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The Sims 4 strives to reflect the subtleties of human emotion. While this will greatly affect individual Sims and one-on-one interaction, Maxis is aiming to overhaul group Sim conversations, as well.

According to a post from EA, Maxis will implement a new feature called SmartSim that adds the element of conversations. "So when I'm talking both of you guys are looking at me and that makes sense and we've never had that in a Sims game before," explained producer Graham Nardone. "You know, when you just jump in and say something we both pivot and look at you and that's a lot of the group dynamics that we're trying to go for to bring these Sims to life. You know, we talk about their AI and their intelligence and all that but really it's about simulating life in believable ways, and that's so cool."

In a separate interview, producer Grant Rodiek told IGN that conversations can take place between numerous Sims at a time. "It probably caps out a little below that, based on how Sims work and what they want to do - they may have something more interesting that they want to do," he adds. "In a more typical situation you can have a family of four or five at the table, eating and drinking, talking and doing all that stuff, whereas previously they would all eat, then they'd all talk, then they'd all watch TV."

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?