The Sims 4 update lets non-playable characters experience life changes
A new update in The Sims 4 allows non-player characters or NPCs to accomplish things in their virtual lives. Players can also influence their life choices, for example by convincing an NPC to break up with their boyfriend or girlfriend.
This update with the new “Neighborhood Stories” functionality will be released as part of the base game on November 30, EA reports in a blog post. Thus, players do not need to purchase any of the expansion packs to unlock this feature.
Before this, the NPCs in the life simulation game did not experience any real life changes. Now it becomes possible for those characters to achieve certain things. They can now have children, get married, break up with a partner or switch careers. The player can now also play a role in this by convincing them of certain choices in a conversation. Previously, it was only possible to make NPCs undergo life changes by incorporating them into the player’s household. This makes them playable and allows them to progress in their lives.
According to the blog post, the development options for non-playable Sims are gradually being expanded. When the update comes out, it will only affect Sims who already have a relationship with players’ households. This includes, for example, work colleagues or friends. In future updates, Sims who are not yet in a relationship with the players will also be able to take on a life of their own. It is unknown when those updates will appear.
Similar functionality was already in The Sims 3 under the name Story Progress. In that game, the feature could be turned on and off. The blog post reports that The Sims 4 players with Neighborhood Stories, on the other hand, will be given more options so that they can choose exactly which life changes NPCs will and will not undergo. That should also appear in a later update and is therefore not yet possible on November 30.
The Sims 4 was released in 2014. The game is still regularly updated and several DLC packs are released every year. For example, an Island Life expansion pack and DLC based on the Star Wars universe have been released. In an interview with VentureBeat, EA’s chief studio officer said the team is also working on “the next generation” of the series.