Producer Blogs: 9 Ways Apartments in The Sims 4 City Living Are Different (and Awesome!)

Welcome to San Myshuno, the new World in The Sims 4 City Living* (coming November 1, 2016). Here, a Sim’s dreams can be made, or broken, at the sight of yet another cockroach outbreak. When you live in the city that means apartment living, which is a completely different experience to the residential lifestyle. Press the button on the elevator for your floor, and let’s go through why apartments are unlike anything you’ve played yet in The Sims 4.

It means living in a community. We wanted to focus on the community aspect of apartment life, which is oh-so familiar to many members of The Sims team. In suburbia it’s easy to ignore your neighbors, but not in apartments! You’ll see them in your Sim’s apartment common area checking the mail, yelling at your Sims or the other neighbors, or merely coming by to visit. Or maybe borrow your Sim’s things, like a shower, or a taste of your Sim’s dinner. First and foremost, the apartments are about other Sims and how they affect your life. San Myshuno has some of the most interesting, diverse, and exciting Sims we’ve created. We cannot wait for you to meet them!

The walls are... sort of thin. Community is nice, but living in such close quarters has its downsides. Or upsides, depending on how you view things. Some apartments are noisy with late night music and… let’s call it romance. If things really get out of hand, you can send your Sims to bang on their neighbor’s door to tell them to “turn it down!” But, this isn’t a one-sided affair! Your Sims neighbors have ears as well and they also value a little solitude. Really, it’s about volume control and being considerate, right?

They're full of wacky characters. We didn’t want to just fill apartments with people, we wanted interesting people! Inspired by our favorite television sitcoms, we tried to drizzle every apartment complex with strange, eccentric, enthusiastic, and overly neighborly Sims that will make the lives of your Sims all the richer! Mostly.

They have their own quirks. While designing The Sims 4 City Living, we frequently recounted to one another stories of bizarre landlords, strange roommates, and apartments that seemed cursed. Well, we wanted all of that in the expansion pack! Apartments in the game can have quirks, almost like personality Traits for Sims, that range from cursed, to haunted, to earthquakes! Every Sim’s apartment is unique, and as a result, we think you’ll have more fun than ever moving between apartments until you find the one that’s just right for your story.

Apartments can have some problems. Some apartments have issues that veer wildly away from “quirk” into outright problem territory! Leaky pipes, faulty electrical wiring, and pests! Look, nobody said moving to the big city on a budget would be easy. Your Sims will need to move to San Myshuno, get a hot new career, and work their way out of the lower quality apartments. This is a good thing! These problems drive stories, build characters, and will let you be more familiar with your landlord.

You'll need to deal with your landlord. Speaking of the landlord, every apartment has a well-meaning, overalls adorned steward of the leaky pipes and hallway complaint. If something breaks, give the landlord a call if you don’t have time or interest in fixing it yourself. Be careful to stay on their good side, and be doubly sure your Sims pay their rent on time, else your Sims will find themselves on the landlord’s bad side!

The view of the city is fantastic. Apartments come with a hiccup or two, but they also provide one of our favorite benefits – the view! Your Sims can look out the window to see a huge, vibrant city that is jam packed with things to do. We’ll cover this more soon, but your Sims will see festivals begin, protests initiate, or friends begin a pickup game of basketball downstairs at the park. Apartments give a window to all the things your Sims could be doing.

Space is limited. Want more space in your house? Knock out a wall or build another level! That doesn't work with apartments. Apartments are snug, especially if your Sims are sharing it with a few roommates! On one hand, roommates help pay for the rent, but on the other, there’s no room! Your Sims will need to prioritize the things most important to them, learn to love their fellow Sims, or simply get out of the apartment to find their fun at the festival. We wanted our low-end apartments to feel low end, both to help you tell a great story, but also to give you something to strive for with your Sims – more space!

Close to everything. San Myshuno itself is as jam-packed as the apartments your Sims inhabit. We’ve never created a world with more to do for your Sims! By simply taking the elevator down, they’ll find themselves right in the thick of great, wonderful, spicy, exciting things. But, that’s for another day. Just know your Sims have never lived anywhere quite like the apartments in The Sims 4 City Living. They’re amazing, at least according to the landlord, and we cannot wait to hear your stories of apartment living.

We can't wait for you to move your Sims in to their first apartment in San Myshuno, with The Sims 4 City Living, coming this November.

*Requires The Sims 4 game (sold separately) and all game updates to play.

- Grant Rodiek