BSFzLjoyAt The Sims 4 EU Preview event in Cologne, Germany last week I had the opportunity to interview Lyndsay Pearson. She is a senior producer on The Sims 4 and has been working on The Sims since the days of the original game!

I hope you find the notes I made from the interview informative . A huge thank you to Lyndsay for answering my questions at the event!

Disclaimer: Responses below are not direct quotes from Lyndsay but the general-gist of what was said throughout the interview. Please leave a comment if anything is unclear.

What is the biggest change to The Sims in The Sims 4?

The Sims 4 is all about the heart of The Sims themselves. They look and feel different.

What is a feature that you’ve personally worked on?

Hats and hairstyles – we finally have the technology to have them on a Sim separately.

Is there any news on whether we will receive a Mac version?

Currently working on polishing the PC version, no word on Mac release yet.

What influences the art direction of The Sims 4?

Early concepts were inspired by many artists including Normal Rockwell. The team went for a stylised realism with The Sims 4 and took a lot of inspiration from line drawing and old newspapers. They had to strike a balance to create the art style that Sims 4 has.

How long have you worked on The Sims and what was your first role?

12 years! Lyndsay began working on The Sims 1 Unleashed and Superstar as a tester.

How many emotions are there in The Sims 4?

Off of the top of her head, Lyndsay said there were 14. There are different levels of emotion too, such as sad and very sad.

How would you describe The Sims 4 to a new player?

The Sims is all about playing with life. You play with your characters and your choices changes what they do.

How does Maxis plan to help modders?

Maxis can not officially endorse mods as people can create anything under the sun. However they plan to foster better places for communication, such as a category on the forum dedicated to modding.

Maxis encourages everyone to have fun and are currently looking into giving us an insight into the tech to make modding easier. Maxis also plan to have more conversations with the modding community.

What were the benefits of using loading screens in Sims 4?

The team were able to push activity in The Sims 4. Distinctly different areas were able to be built and you can easily travel between different worlds. So you can live in Willow Creek but visit friends in Oasis Springs.