Maybe a few staircases in different heights? Or some kind of staircase morph or cutaway that would add or remove the top part. Maybe sectional build-it-yourself spiral staircases with a set, repeating animation cycle for the middle section of the steps. Disappearing staircases in incompatible heights probably couldn't be too difficult to do, or limiting build height for these staircases to the default height.

Basically thinking a little bit out of the box (but I guess that's a bit too hard).

It's not like they can't make spiral stairs in 3 different heights. Maybe they will be less flexible than normal stairs, but it's better than nothing.

I don't think it's incredibly difficult, the way I see it;

1. The animation is broken into three parts- one for the bottom, one for the top, and a per-step animation. They can probably get away with reusing the existing stair animations, even.

2. Like spiral stairs in the previous games, they're limited to the preset floor heights to avoid any modular shenanigans. TBH, this would satisfy 90% of all builders as spiral staircases are usually used in an indoor setting anyways.

3. For the three heights, the stair can be made modular, with an identical stair up to the lowest floor height, and a quarter (90 degree) segment added per additional floor height. The only problem this poses is that it makes the start and end different for different floor heights, but it's something people would have needed to take into account even with normal stairs anyways.

4. IMO it's a matter of effort, rather than a technical challenge.

This is not how large corporations and their employees do things.

A Maxis producer of 15 years said that?

It's one thing for a newbie to say that, but someone with 15 years experience? Omg...

It's just fuckin' stairs... Maxis. You ain't stopping world hunger or curing cancer here.

Why wouldn’t they just make 3 spiral stair models? One for each height and you can’t place one’s that don’t fit. This is already how they handle window and doors, and I think elevators too. It shouldn’t be nearly that hard for them.

You know they love their excuses.

“Making various models for each items would be out of the budget.”

When I look at the buy catalog and see how many higher quality models for things I will never, ever use...

We’ll really only need four models for staircases anyways: Traditional (for normal homes), Marble (for higher end homes), Modern (for modern homes), and Wrought Iron (for exteriors). Some of these can even share models, or the models can be used for additional types of stairs.

For example: Traditional (if designed well) can easily have colors for marble. Modern can have an alternative model for glass stairs. Wrought Iron can also be an extension of the modern staircase, so they’re really only making two models. They can mirror them and mirror the animation for going own way and have the other side done. They can attach the base game railing styles and be done with it.

I'm just trying to wrap my head around why spiral stairs, like many other things the game is missing, were achievable two games ago. But not now.

Spiral stairs. Ladders. Split levels. Bunk beds. Hammocks. Sleeping Bags. Pool tables. Vehicles. Where are all of these things?

EA lies so damn much and you've done all these things before, so excuse me if I'm not gonna take you at your word that you can't do it. So please. Explain in detail why you can't.

They don't need to explain the technicalities of it, when a good chuck (from my perception) of the fandom makes the people that don't know it. By that, I mean how broad and diverse the demography, which even includes those that don't play other games excluding sims and aren't always computer savvy. Thus, developers can use it as an advantage to rely on "just trust us on this and believe in the reason" principle, giving then reason not to elaborate on this for the sake of getting a pass.


Graham's reason for closed words because of multitasking was at least explained in depth as best, than cut short with ellipsis as they usually do. That's kind of reason I think we would love to to hear often than "We can't do x, because of y presence - the end!". It would give some clearity, than seemingly leaving their sez'ses to not even add up for the reader and thus leave us start pure theories and assumtions that either it's engine fault, lazy/impotence(stupid)/uncreative developers, raised budget goes to complete another game, etc.

Oh but wait, I forgot - often gurus respond in twitter, that doesn't allow for essays and therefor encourages not to bother to expand their answers.

All I hear is oxymoron. Would that be right term to describe the situation? Transferring money through family members or bank is confusing, yet in GTW you can deposit money for each respective business. Concept isn't really hard to grasp (unless they're dead serious targeting low-age demography), mechanics can be design with a simple&easy UI. Wrong answer, but I guess "too hard" is overused and unexucusable, so all I can do is pity Maxis the start they been trying to clear of flooding mess after since they burst the water pipe with a shovel. Be it poor development management or brain frying engine.

They think it would not be a best priority, but I think they're 'best priority' would be complete different, or even opposite, to what players think the best priority should be. Like, perhaps, sims with realistic personalities and more family play content? Or is
another linear story-orientated gameplay (StrangerVille) and overpriced hideous fashion clothing branded pack (Moschino) the thing that appears on the TS4 Feedback section first page? I don't think, actually know it's NOT!

If they really deliver 'best' things, they better of listening to feedback that are insightful. Sure, I bet they know university is needed because protests are screaming such words with ten letters, but that's far from where it will lead them.


If that's the legit concern they have, then they're cleary overlooking an easy solution: get one of the people in the team that's not lazy to write a Lesson about it. Dare I say, TS3 provided instructions for almost every feature that exist, founded in the Lessons menu from the settings (F5) drop menu? Comparing or not, it's hardly a mechanic and is a digital manual book. Surely that hardly requires brain power and coding skills to script in STRINGS.

Now onto news: Covers possible (via Clubs),Sims of spellcaster more likely to do magic autonomously in right place (I like that) and brooms work like bats oppose to boats (I imagine the "travel..." is animated like in TS2AL).

I might buy this idea, but they have spiral stairs for TS2 and TS3, so obviously they know how to overcome the difficulties you mentioned. That, or the entire developer team consumed memory wiping potions at one time lol.

That reminds me, didn't the Sims 1 devs sustain an actual code wipe AND most of them got replaced, and they STILL managed to make the game they did - with considerably less flexible technology no less. iirc.

Yes. Code was periodically deleted after every group of coders finished with an EP and got fired. Then the new coders had to step in and recreate the lost bits of code to build the new EP. 'Tis why you have to install TS1 EPs in the order they were released.



They've been taking too many vactions to florida. Got themselves a case of brain eating amoeba. :D

Okay, so these staircases are doable indoors, if you feel like banging your head against a wall. Sims use them perfectly fine, they're just a pain in the ass.

You have to build the staircase area with a foundation, then build around the area with rooms. You can also use the foundation trick for this where your elevate a section of terrain in different areas and use foundations to make the area looks like elevated areas you can put more foundations on. You can't have a flat roof on this, so a normal roof is required for the trick, which is fine. You're basically tricking the game into doing what it's not meant to do and covering it up.

Also, the upper stairwell has to have a cutout - it can't be a solid piece of floor. There must also be a gap of at least 1 tile between the upper gap and where the foundation is.

What's so PITA about demolishing a room to build semi level stairs than rebuilding it again? Oh Hi neighbor *waves across just wall-rid made opening to fellow Mark*!

Nah, I'm joking. I do see how it's annoying though.

*Mark waves back* Howdy neighbor. 'Tis nice mornin' ya 'ear? I just bought me this 'ere 20 acres of stairmageddon-The fanciest steps yall ever lay eyes on.

It’s annoying because you can only have that style of staircase, which is still floating in the middle of the room with a large gap over it. It works in this style of house, but if you want something against the wall (which many do us want), you can’t have it.

Those look really good. Thank you for the information. I will have to try this eventually.
I downloaded a house from the gallery with a split staircase and was wondering how that was done.

It can be used for more basic builds as well. I tried making the mall from Open For Business (from the bin), and there’s an elevated area in the center. I nearly lost my mind.

The good news it that it can be use for more basic things, like simple L shaped stairs, but unless you’re making a mansion that has the room for all of this BS, we have to stick to basic stairs. Shame.

-

I just saw a closer still of the Greenhouse.

I sit and wonder why we can’t have the material to build a greenhouse like that. We got glass roofs (with tiny, thin panes) and a good luck. I also can’t fathom why we don’t have triangular windows yet.

Glass roofs... cabins... modern homes... mid century... I am confusion.

The house I got from the gallery is a large spooky Victorian and it has L shaped ones. I thought it a bit odd as one space from the wall, but now know why. May play a bit tonight IF I can find anywhere to do that. My biggest gripe about this game, well one, is the tiny worlds and no place to build very soon after we get them.

edit: found this. Some L shaped stairs against a wall.

https://www.teamoverpowered.com/gui...tairs-tutorial/

And there are some other tutes out there to try.

edit: working on a build where I got stairs against walls in enclosed room and roof above. Do not want to hijack this thread so will post new one tomorrow with some photos. Having fun.

Just responding to Grant's tweet about Super Hardcore fans of this series and trying to find that balance, as if hardcore fans are the problem. Here's news Maxis, you could have had all the happy, happy newbies ever, if you would have just followed your Super Harcore fans' advice. Remove the (4) from the title. We wouldn't have bothered to buy, or review and or take a second look. But you just couldn't do that could you? We told you months before release to not say it was The Sims 4. And why didn't you? Because you wanted to sucker in your hardcore fanbase to look at, see, buy TS4 long enough to get the money back on your failed MMO, long enough to sucker in new players who wouldn't know you did things better in older games and never whined it was too hard or too expensive. We would have stayed out of your hair and you wouldn't be trying to find that balance all while blaming your Super Hardcore fans, if you would have never said the game was part of the series. We wouldn't have cared, how you butchered the franchise with this anomaly you wanted us for the money grab, until you were tired of us prooving to you, you did things better in the past, and wanted us gone so you could search for newbies who wouldn't know this is not and never will be your best work. You used your super hardcore fans by selling them a bag of goods you promised would be part of the series because you had added the 4 to the title. But all the while saying out of both sides of your mouth, you just didn't to a good job selling the idea it was a different game..well, duh, all you had to do was not add the 4, and we would have never looked at it twice and you could have had all these years of happy, happy players who don't know it's not your best and never wil be. Your super hardcore fans didn't trash MySims because it's not part of the life simulator series...we didn't even bother to try it or play it (most adults) and we would have stayed away from TS4 is you had been honest about it, and not tried to fool your super hardcore base, by saying it's a serial to the series then try to back track and say it's a different game. Trying to have it both ways is what sunk this ship with your relationship of your super hardcore fans and no one to blame but you, Maxis. For trying to fool your veteran and long time sponsers of your bank account. Now you reap what you sowed. Long time fans who won't even put up with your lame excuses. ETA: Because you wanted your long time players on board at first so you could get some money back then turn around and ditch us when we point out the flaws and money grabs and piecemealing and the lack luster code and programming. Should have just said it was MySims 2.0 and left it like that and none of us would have said a word about your little game.

That would be insult to original game... and clash with the name The Sims. As for the name, what's done is done. If they did felt strongly about it, the rebrand was the opening window to do that (granted, If it is even allowed or practical). There's no longer strong indication anythng will change in TS4, and possibly for TS5 for that matter, for the better - as long incompetent devs and anybody higher in charge what DLC gets submitted/rejected are still around to continue running the franchise their way, despise ifloyal consumers are heavily despise the business model.

Though, returning to Grant's thread, he mentions that it's much harder to make game approachable to new folks than old ones. Umm... I really beg to differ.
they're new to the franchise, meaning they're yet not fully introduced to the franchise. TS4 to them is like TS1 to us: the first and only game tried out, with the discovery that it premises a original concept that premise smanagement of virtual person average life, that can't be found outside the franchise.

It's not listed anywhere, but they announced that the game has actual portals in the debug menu. I wish they added some kind of elevator to match, but what can you do, right?

They showed the portals in the stream - they're really neat - there are 3 different sets of enter and exit portals, that you can put on lots, that you can do some pretty cool things with.

Ha, the first thing I thought of was how those portals have more functionality than the elevators.

I feel like they missed a trick by not integrating them with the new fireplace though. Might be the first thing I try to mod.