Since the last blog post, we’ve been busy adding a ton of object types to the collection of upgradable ones. This has enabled a ton of objects to be used for greening that were not usable before, and allows for much more freedom in designing themed properties. Here’s a list of everything we’ve covered:
Beds
Fridges, Stoves
Baths and Showers
Fun Objects (PCs, televisions, bubble maker, pool table, basketball… etc)
Chairs, Armchairs and Sofas
Some “fun” upgrades. Not the category, just ones that do weird things…
Drivable Cars
Wait – you never announced that last one! Oh, but we did… on Discord! That’s right, the blog fell behind again, but better late than never.
In this post I’ll be talking about what drivable cars mean, and about some new tools I’m introducing to Volcanic to help content creation in the future.
(the accessory and animation in the above picture are not an actual thing we will be distributing (pls no sue disney), though it is inevitable that custom accessories will make it to the game at some point!)
Yes, the upgrades system is finally ready for public testing! “Silently” debuted during our world emoji day… event… the upgrades system lets you pay additional money to upgrade eligable objects when purchasing them or even afterwards, on the same panel that lets you return objects to inventory. These upgrades can make the object match more expensive versions for motive gain, benefits and even add some extra functionality the object never had before! Our emoji day example was a thinking emoji that spins when you upgrade it, but the real targets are more… practical than that.
Today, we’re debuting the first set of functional object upgrades that aim to free house builders from only using a small slice of the catalog. Soon, it will all be viable. 😌
We are happy to announce that the Mentor applications are opening today, and will remain open for the whole of June 2019!
For those of you who missed the Mentor announcement a few weeks ago, a Mentor is a regular player who has been acknowledged by the staff to be trustworthy and capable of assisting the community in some way. Whether this is via generally helping players in the game, answering minor questions in the discord, or even intervening with hostile players and calming a situation. Everyone will be good at something different.
It should be noticed that Mentors will not have any moderator or admin privileges.
As previously stated in our announcement, please note that to be considered for this role you must have a positive behaviour, good attitude and be somewhat thick skinned. This is not a popularity contest; all suitable players will be considered equally, and the role can also be lost if trust with the staff is broken. The Mentor role is also a voluntary position and will not receive any in-game benefits. Mentors will however receive a Discord role and a badge on their in-game profile!
Applications will be reviewed during June and any players who pass will then be offered a 2 week trial in July. Trials must be kept confidential, as we want to see your involvement with the community, not their response to you being on trial for the position.
If you wish to apply to become a Mentor you can do sohere ←-clicky clicky. There are some rules to read and accept on the application so please familiarise yourself with them.
Good luck and we look forward to reading your applications. If you have any questions feel free to ask us in the FreeSO Discord or in-game.
Since the neighbourhoods update has been out for over a month and people have become settled in their new town halls, I figured it was about time for an update post on what we’ve been doing… and what we will be! Yes, this post will contain a full roadmap on what we are focusing on bringing to the game before leaving beta. Yes, that is still a thing. Feel free to skim any of the sections and just read headings, as many of them get quite technical.
(If you are still concerned about the contents of the last post, I suggest looking at the post date.)
At FreeSO, we’re always committed to updating the game to match modern expectations for people sim video games. That is the reason we added 3D mode and new lighting, of course, but there are some crucial areas that have been missed when focusing just on engine improvements. One day, I was eating my 3rd McFlurry™ of the day, writing my daily essay about how McDonalds™ has shaped our planet for the better. I was just getting stuck into a scoop with the world renowned McFlurry™ Galaxy™ Caramel Sauce when I was struck with an epiphany. Solutions to modern problems, should come from modern feedback to modern games.
So I started work on FreeSO Battle Royale. That was too much effort, so I instead looked to criticisms of the latest iteration in a similar series, The Sims. I’ve never played The Sims before, so I’m surprised that their series has so much in common with FreeSO, including pools and the Adult life stage. Looking back on complaints that have been made over the past few years about their most recent iteration, it’s clear there as a lot to learn about making a crowd pleasing simulation game.
We couldn’t be bothered making the fancier pools that TS4 has with all the pool rooms, windows etc… so we have found a better way to improve pools and bring some of that modern charm to FreeSO. Introducing – the BALL POOL.
As flat as you need them, the new FreeSO ball pool is just as functional as regular pools in FreeSO, if not more so.
Yes, every pool in every property is now filled with inflatable balls, and the world is better off for it. We’ve been keeping close tabs on the reception ball pools received in modern Sims games, and decided that it was an overwhelming hit with fans and deserved inclusion in our completely original game too. We’ve decided to include two modes for the ball pit pool, which can be triggered by the complex shaders option. Want more 3D balls than you have ever seen in real life? Check that Complex Shaders option. Want the authentic TS4 experience? Turn it off.
Why would we add ball pools without a special class of sim to sit in them? Yes, you read the title right, toddlers are coming to FreeSO. Due to excessive fan requests, we have decided to add toddlers without adding any other life stages whatsoever. This means that we have spent as much time as possible on the toddler life stage, making it a more polished experience. There is also no aging, as that is not the story we want to tell (and with how long you play this game you’d end up dead pretty fast).
“how did you add toddlers so quickly?” I hear you say? “wouldn’t it take hundreds of hours making new models, textures, and creating new animations for the new skeleton?”. Simply load the game, to find out.
We’re also giving out a free, never before seen object, TODAY ONLY! To go with our update focusing on pools, what better object to roll with than a Pool Filter.
Pool filters are used around the world to keep your pool water from becoming dirty. What? Pools don’t have any water now that they’re filled with balls? I hope nothing bad happens when you try to pump plastic balls through a pool filter…
Log in today to receive your new Pool Filter!
That’s all for today, folks. I hope you enjoy your day. April 1st is truly the real start of spring, as things do really start to heat up around this time of year.
