Summary
With its free-to-play business model and increased focus on accessibility,The Sims 5looks set to be a fresh start for the iconic franchise whenever it arrives. As Maxis Studios continues to releasenew information aboutThe Sims 5, codenamed Project Rene, it’s become clear that it hopes to address some of the series’ shortcomings with the upcoming entry to help it reach a wider audience. While Maxis has given gamers a glimpse of how features like Build Mode and character customization work inThe Sims 5, details about how it plans to address one prominent problem with the franchise have yet to be revealed.
One thing that’s madeThe Simsa perennial hit with players worldwide is the ability to customize nearly every aspect of the game. This carries over into the game’s take on parenting, allowing players to createchild Simsthat reflect the physical traits of their in-game parents. Although a great idea in theory, the imperfect implementation ofThe Sims’ Genetics mechanic has long been a sore spot for some. Overhauling the system forThe Sims 5would not only address this longstanding complaint, but also help it stand out in the face of new competition.
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The Genetics Mechanic in Previous The Sims Games is Impressive But Imperfect
Introduced withThe Sims 2, the Genetics mechanic is meant to produce in-game offspring that share a resemblance to the Sims who parented them. Whereas inThe Simsbabies had randomly selected features, the arrival of Genetics withthe release ofThe Sims 2allowed players’ virtual kids to inherit traits ranging from eye color to facial features to personality. However, even as this mechanic has been refined with each subsequent release, complaints have persisted about children sometimes looking nothing like their Sim parents.
Despite the Genetics mechanic in the latest game being an improvement from its predecessors, it’s not uncommon forchildren inThe Sims 4to bear little to no resemblance to their parents. For players intent on creating their ideal in-game family, this can be frustrating and has become a frequent source of complaints from some series fans. As the franchiseprepares to face what could be its biggest competitor in years with the release of Paradox Interactive’sLife by You, adding a more robust Genetics mechanic toThe Sims5 could help the series maintain its role as the preeminent life simulator.
A Revamped Genetics Mechanic Would Set The Sims 5 Apart from Life by You
Releasing in early access in 2024,Paradox Interactive’sLife by Youoffers an alternative toThe Simsfranchise. Featuring a robust character and world creation system, it represents the biggest threat in years to Maxis’ domination of the life simulator genre. But whileLife by You’s Human Creator promises to let players design their perfect in-game avatar, little has been revealed about how childhood and other life stages will work in the game. This givesThe Sims 5a chance to differentiate itself by introducing a retooled Genetics system.
This could be done by adding more variety to how traits are expressed inThe Sims 5. Instead of inheriting traits like hair color and texture from only one of theirSim parents, for example, children could have features that blend each parent’s traits to produce a more realistic mix of the two. The same could work for the physical features of Sims, which currently either show up as nearly identical to one parent, a roughly half-and-half mix, or entirely unlike either.The Sims 5could blend physical traits more subtly, letting Sims inherit a feature like prominent ears from one parent while getting more of their features from the other, for example.
By revamping the Genetics system inThe Sims 5to give in-game children a better blend of their parents Maxis could resolve one of the longest-running problems with the series and produce more realistic Sim babies as a result. This would not only please long-time players, but also give the game a competitive edge overLife by Youwhen it releases.
