The second episode of Behind The Sims dedicated a good chunk of time on what the developers at Maxis are currently up to with Project Renee, theupcoming new The Sims title (which may or may not end up being titled The Sims 5).
From the many placeholder and the word “exploring” being used, it’s fair to say that Project Rene is quite in full production yet. All of the different elements discussed are currently being developed in parallel, “prepping all of our ingredients before we can bring them together to bake a cake”, as explained in the video.
Prototype screenshots of the game’s new lighting model were shown, as the team currently explores new tech that is supported on PC as well as on phones. Project Rene is designed for these two platforms to be in some form of parity, enough for players across PC and mobile can collaborate in Build Mode.
The animation team showed an animation of placeholder Sims shaking hands, each with a different body language. The team wants animations to be able to communicate what a Sim is feeling and thinking just by observing how they behave. To be able to “read the room”.
More fascinatingly, there are prototypes to model how Sims behave in a neighbourhood outside of homes. It’s not saying the next The Sims will be back in open world, mind, but if it results in some more interesting routines for other Sims and townies outside of home, that should be a massive upgrade as it is from The Sims 4.
There is work being done to portray more hairstyles in Project Rene, and one of the features being worked on is flexible colouring, the ability to have different hues of colour on hair but not only on specific, predetermined parts.
We see some aspects of the full simulation, which is still in the early stages with all those placeholder assets, as well as a mock-up of socialisation. The socialisation team is on to something, as they are currently figuring out how to present crucial info about what a Sim is thinking but putting too much of it.
It’s no concrete details about what new features to expect, but seeing just a teensy bit of how the sausage is made, especially during this early stage of development, is always fascinating.
Whether Sims can figure out to prioritise washing dishes using the kitchen sink and not, if ever, use the bathroom sink for that specific task remains to be seen.
The Behind The Sims video also shares some behind-the-scenes look at horses for The Sims 4 Horse Ranch expansion, as well as updates for The Sims Mobile and The Sims Freeplay.
There is no release date for Project Rene, but it is confirmed to be developed for PC and mobile.