SimGuruGraham is at it again! Today he’s gone over the ins and outs of being in “post-alpha” as a producer, giving some information on what happens from here on out, and also giving us a first look at all the items coming with the game.
Post-alpha is my busiest time as a producer; I do extensive testing on every feature to suss out bugs & identify areas for improvement.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
One thing I like to do for every Stuff Pack is to create a lot that has every object in every color variant that's coming with the pack.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
While I don't use this lot for actual feature testing, it's a great way to see every asset at a glance and quickly identify any art issues. pic.twitter.com/ANOhk2zKIG
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
You may notice the rugs in the bottom left-hand corner of that lot screenshot… The middle one won in the vote, but we made all three.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
Those round rugs all use the same geometry for the model, and make use of different material states to create the different visual patterns.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
By doing this, those extra rugs don't count as an additional full asset when working with our external partners.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
It's a good example of a way that we try and give players extra content while working within the scope of our project.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
We're still working on the pack for one. Other reasons delve further into aspects of business/finance that I can't discuss in detail.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
You'd have to ask a SimGuru working on that pack; I'm solely dedicated to Stuff Packs at this time 🙂
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
Sometime in 2018 – I can't share a more specific date until our marketing team launches their campaign for this pack.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
Also, compare that lot screenshot against the original group of winning objects for this pack… we've come a long way! pic.twitter.com/Fv7xTQ4t38
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
It sure does. Lots of planning and prep work helps us zip right along once we enter full production on a pack.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
This is exactly right 🙂 The sofas have some extra variants that use the same base color, but different colored pads.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
Yes indeed, you can see them stacked on the right hand side of the pic.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
Definitely, we split them apart to allow for greater versatility. You'll notice the door also comes with and without the curtain.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
The ironing board will only be a deco object that you can hang on your wall.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
Alpha is our milestone when we're considered "feature complete". That means all functionality requested in the design is available in-game.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
Beta we use a bit differently than most people might be familiar with. I'll talk about that more when we get closer to that milestone.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
You can generally think of beta as your milestone for reaching zero open bugs, making it your first potential release candidate.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
But again… that's more of the way beta is traditionally used. In the coming weeks as we approach beta I'll share more of how we use it.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
I really love the sinks. They're both distinctly different than any others in the game, and there's lots of detail in the galvanized metal.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
Another Laundry Day milestone hit this week: Art Lock. This means all internal models/animations/VFX are checked in and open for testing.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 19, 2017
We aren't planning on including laundromats as part of this pack; it's focused on doing laundry at home.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 20, 2017
We've got three different hampers, but not one specifically in that style, no.
— Graham Nardone (@SimGuruGraham) October 20, 2017
