Behind the Scenes and Surprises: How This Month Has Been!
PROJECT ETHEREA (OUR GAME)
Hi everyone! I’m back. I came to update you on our progress throughout this month of August! I have lots of news to share, although I can’t go into specific details about each one of them (some are secret features we’re prototyping for our game!)
Let’s start from the beginning. As a way to involve our community in the development process of Project Etherea, yesterday I created a new channel in our server called: Biblioteca (Library)
In it, I share some of the courses I’ve been taking to learn modeling and improve my skills, books I’ve been studying to better understand the field of Game Design, as well as other materials like videos or development articles that I consult for inspiration, to learn techniques and processes from other talented artists, and to understand how certain challenges or problems can be solved by thinking outside the box and testing new paths.
I’ve been using some markers (green and yellow) to indicate my progress studying these materials or going through these contents, so that players can have an idea of how much progress I’m making in each area. After all, creating a good game isn’t just about opening an engine and starting to code (a talent which I happily outsource to our programmer xD). It’s about understanding what makes a good game, and being able to distinguish between what I think makes a good game, what players consider makes a good game, and what actually makes a good game.
I also started developing some interface concepts for Project Etherea, but I’ll share a small mockup I made of a room for our game, taking into account proportions such as (wall height/width), door and window arches, as well as the building grid for the floor.
Fun fact: While in The Sims you have a 1x1 grid, and in InZoi it’s divided into up to 8 parts, our intention is for the grid in our game to be 0.5x0.5. This would allow players, for example, to raise a wall on what would be the equivalent of half a grid square in The Sims 3. That opens the door to much more freedom when building, and of course, I see it as the ideal balance point for flexibility. Inspired by Brazilian constructions, our walls also won’t be as thin as Drywalls. They’ll be slightly thicker, to better reflect the average size of real-life walls built with materials like bricks and mortar (forgive me, I don’t know enough real construction terms to describe it more technically, but I think you get the idea xD).
FEEDBACKS TO INZOI
What I have been doing as an inZOI partner
Speaking of that, as I mentioned in our previous post, this month we were expecting lots of updates regarding inZOI, and of course, that also means taking some time to question the team about their decisions, acknowledge them, and return with feedback. If you’re an inZOI player and curious about this, here’s what I believe: the more good ideas I share with the world, the more I have to share. So, even though I’m working on my own game, the best ideas I’ve had only came to me because before that, I had already shared my (up until then) best ideas with the inZOI team.
That’s why I always choose to collaborate and contribute. It’s also about that thought: “What kind of player would I want playing my game?” — well, that’s the kind of player I strive to be for other development teams.
So, let’s get to it. I’ll share with you a bit of what I suggested to the team and which topics I brought up. I’m bringing these as a summarized report of what I’ve been doing as a partner to support the team and also to take the concerns of our subscribers/players to them:
I started the early access period by sharing some tips with other partners on how to get better performance in inZOI with more beautiful graphics. I also shared this content with our subscribers: see here.
I suggested the team gather all interactions that start with: Talk about, into a single menu named: Talk About. I noticed that even after the latest update (which, by the way, greatly improved interactions by making them more ambiguous, less specific, and more condensed), there were still many similar interactions scattered across different menus. Grouping them together would not only make navigation easier but also make the interaction menu more straightforward.
I recommended the same for interactions that start with: Ask about.
I also brought up the subject of lighting once again. While they’ve made many improvements, last year’s build had more natural and less yellowish indoor lighting. Even without realistic shadows, the overall atmosphere felt more natural and cohesive. (I don’t think they’ll change this, but I keep insisting so at least I can say I did my part in trying to preserve what I firmly believe made the game even more charming in the past: reference photo).
Then, I suggested the possibility of creating pools on platforms and also adding smoother animations for the new Zois jogging around the city (exercising). It actually took me 2 days to finally realize they were athletes, because they were running so fast it looked like they were being chased by the police xD.
I shared a small suggestion (pointing out a dilemma) to the over-the-shoulder camera, which has gone through new iterations. I also took the opportunity to share how the game would benefit from a stronger depth of field to hide object rendering just a few meters away from Zois (the infamous object pop-ups/pop-ins) Example:
They opened the opportunity for us to ask the team questions, so I took it as a chance to learn more about their development process, technical details, and decision-making.
Other feedback related to the game included: the ability for Zois to own more than one vehicle per Zoi, considering the density and purpose of each type of vehicle. The addition of a camera mode where WASD isn’t tied to the character, allowing players to rely on muscle memory built over years of playing The Sims, making the transition easier and more intuitive for players who enjoy managing large families.
I also raised issues related to the animation timing in certain interactions and how to improve that for a more aligned and immersive experience.
And I questioned the team about the decision to add so many Rabbit Hole jobs, leaving aside one of inZOI’s main focuses: active careers that contribute to Zois’ daily routines. I brought this up more as a long-term concern, suggesting how these careers could gradually become active and shine over the course of gameplay (after all, I interpreted that this might be the intention for the future).
I raise these questions to help inZOI become a more coherent and consistent game in terms of its gameplay proposals. And as a player (and now developer), I feel that aligning this consistency with player expectations isn’t just important — it’s fundamental for a truly meaningful gameplay experience.
Along with that, I questioned the approach taken for elevators and suggested changes for the future, including making them actually functional with animations instead of just a quick magic teleport.
Well, believe it or not, I had promised myself to take it easy this time, because in previous opportunities I already sent the team a lot of highly detailed feedback, probably over 100 pages if we were to add it all up.
Either way, I have no doubt that inZOI is heading in the right direction, especially after leaving the old roadmap aside to fully focus on improving the core gameplay experience. As a long-time player of simulation games, I expect nothing less than the best from such a highly skilled, talented, and most importantly, feedback-friendly team. That said, it’s been incredible to collaborate so closely!!
THE BOOK
Now for a little surprise!
I was invited to co-write a book called Decisions that Transform Businesses (available in Portuguese). And that was another thing I worked on during this period (in secret). Next month you’ll be able to read (if you want to, of course) a bit of my story — where it all started, how it all unfolded, and where we are heading. I co-wrote this book alongside several other entrepreneurs from different industries and with many different stories.
It was an enormous pleasure and privilege to be invited to contribute!! I took the opportunity to talk more about Boringverse Games and our long-term goal of building a game that we not only truly want to play ourselves, but also one we’ve never seen built in the way we envision it.
As I mentioned earlier, this month has been a busy one! But now, things are gradually starting to return to normal, allowing me to dive even deeper into my studies (combining readings with the animation and modeling courses I’m taking), and also return to working on our map in The Sims 3.
I’d love to hear what you think about the feedback I shared with the inZOI team, and about all the other topics that, one way or another, came up along the way this month.
Once again, I’d like to thank all the new supporters who joined and those who have stayed. It’s always an incredible privilege to count on your support, whether as a member or simply as a follower of our Patreon. Thank you!! I’ll be back soon with more news and updates. Until then, I hope to keep contributing and collaborating more and more—directly or indirectly—with players, with other game communities, and with anyone who happens to cross our path. <3
