As we all patiently wait for news on the game, websites like Rincon Del Simmer are actively digging for news. Today, he discovered some old posts by SimGuruMeatball on official forums, and here is what he had to say!
Cinebar: Like someone already said early on, this just confirms to some of us the hair is the hair..no textures..or probably no bump mapping on clothes etc.
How low is low? A 1.5ghz machine..
I would never have expected to be able to play a full series’ game on such a low end machine. It is mho, he just said..welcome iPad users we made a new game for you!
SimGuruMeatBall: We actually have more graphical features on TS4 than on TS3, so we have not removed things like normal maps. Reason why things look “soft” is because we are using less high frequency details in our textures, due to our art style, and not because we are using lower resolution textures or other reductions that people seem to think we’ve done.
JenZ4HeavenZ: The only thing I really dislike is the hair.. it looks like clay to me and EA really does need a better texture artist.. i mean really really.. I can make better hair textures than what they got goin on there and I am not even a professional.. but then they have always kind of lacked in the hair and clothing department.. I can already see what I want to re-texture.. Eyes, hair, and possibly the skin because it is too flat.. I like toony… but I do not like claymation appearances.
SimGuruMeatball: Any of my artists can do whatever kind of hair YOU would like, if they disregarded the enforced art style, performance, texture budgets, shader limitations, draw calls, clipping etc. They do what is being asked of them, and they are awesome. Btw, we always need good artist, so feel free to send us your portfolio for consideration.
LittleMinxUndr: What worries me is that he’s holding the TS3-remote. Makes you wonder how much stuff from TS3 has been recycled...
SimGuruMeatBall: It is the remote from TS3. But don’t worry, it’s just a placeholder. If I was aware that they were planning on using it for the image I would have made sure it was the new remote! We often use old assets for testing and as placeholders until we get the final assets in.
