FAQ

I get it, AI is a hot topic right now, with plenty of lovers and haters.

• It’s a big project. The speed of iteration AI offers is a massive plus.
• It’s guided, not autonomous. I never set it loose with “create a tool”. It’s been directed piece by piece, with my technical insight at each step.
• I can read, review, edit and write C# myself. Nothing goes in that I haven’t looked over.
• AI writes code only. Everything else, including the design, research and testing, is done by me.
• The code will be open sourced on Github for anyone to review and fork - I’m not hiding anything nefarious.

No, this is a standalone tool for authoring Worlds outside of the game.

No, I am independent and this tool is being produced by studying the game file formats and gameplay over many years.

Generally, no.

The game appears to be in a managed decline at the moment with bug fixes only and cosmetic content only.

In game worlds (including ones created by you) are all authored with file versions that are current to writing this document with no changes expected by EA/Maxis.

That being said, if EA/Maxis decided to bump a version number on a file, the game is generally very graceful about reading legacy file versions without any issues.

If EA/Maxis included a new World Specific gameplay system then the tool would need to be updated to support this.

Ahhh, lots. They are the most finicky piece in the whole system and it's really important to remember a few things.

Add Lots: Yes, but they won't be picked up by an existing save. E.g. You create a world, add one lot, load the game, test, add another lot, load the game - NEW SAVE would be required to see your changes.

Remove Lots: Yes, but removing them will break any save games that include that lot. You won't be able to delete a lot and go back to a save that contains them.

Move Lots: Yes, this is fine.

I wouldn't recommend ‘releasing’ a world that is a Work in Process when it comes to the number of lots. Get your lots sorted first.

Everything else important is loaded outside of a save.

That being said, I would test and test again and only use throw away saves during the process. 

DONT TEST WITH A LEGACY SAVE OR A SAVE YOU CARE ABOUT.

I would STRONGLY recommend removing your saves from the game completely whilst using the tool/developing a world and only adding them back when you’re done.

Yes, to a degree. I’m still working on user experience and workflows but the tool does require some patience and commitment to flesh out a world. You won't be able to whip up a nice playable world in 30 mins, you need to think about road placement and pathing, lot placement and gameplay, lighting, seasons, theming, lore. It will take a user a bit of time to understand how systems interact and how to implement each piece using the tool. The tool will initially be released with limited help/user guides. These will come in time. The tool is similar to The Sims 3 Create-a-World, anyone who has used that can remember how daunting it is when starting a blank world.

The tool only works with what the game currently provides, it doesn't add any external/new systems. Bikes can already use worlds designed by the user.

Yes - there are some technical limitations within the game about how worlds are delivered to the User Interface. There may need to be an external “Installer” to help keep files in place and where the game expects them but new worlds are already fully achievable.

No - The tool will be free on release. If you did want to support me and the continued development you can drop me a tip here: https://ko-fi.com/ts4caw