As EA and Maxis’ next venture in The Sims franchise, Project Rene will be the most complex and daring endeavor by The Sims team. Project Rene’s multiplayer features have been heavily pushed by EA and Maxis, though like most of the project, the exact details of these multiplayer features have been left in the dark. With virtually no information about multiplayer mode on the table, EA and Maxis could turn to some of FromSoftware’s multiplayer features for inspiration.
Project Reneessentially acts as The Sims 5 in terms of its place in the franchise. Though both EA and Maxis have remained tight-lipped about the project, some information about the project’s gameplay and multiplayer mode has been revealed.
Related
Project Rene’s Multiplayer Focus Could Turn Sims Worlds Upside Down
While not much has been revealed about the title, Project Rene should use preexisting locations to expand its multiplayer features
What is Known About Project Rene’s Multiplayer Features
Leaks about Project Rene have been the most constant source of information about the game, as EA and Maxis have been announcing more content for The Sims 4 than updates about Project Rene. The game has been confirmed to have gone to playtesting at least once, with several important Project Rene leaks coming from playtesters.
Allegedly, Project Rene will host a central area for players called The Hub (though this name could reference a collection of Sims games the play tester mentions). In addition to this centralized area, players can work at a coffee shop where they serve and work alongside other players. Players earn Simoleons from work or leveling up through XP and can spend their coins at a clothing shop. XP is earned by wishing at a fountain, talking to other Sims, completing quests, and working at the cafe. Once again, all of this information has not been confirmed officially by EA and Maxis, but has been shared by a Project Rene playtester.
Ideas for Multiplayer Game Play
Simmers are already coming up with suggestions for Project Rene’s multiplayer mode. If XP leveling is true like this play tester suggests, adding mini-games to Project Rene could be a fun way to earn XP. This could act as a great contrast to working at the cafe, which the playtester complained was a tad “grindy.”
The return of The Sims 4’s Gallery feature could also be an excellent way to facilitate multiplayer gameplay. Rather than simply sharing builds and Sims on the Gallery, the feature could be used like an invite system to play with other Simmers or visit their creations.
These are only a handful of ways that multiplayer play could be utilized in Project Rene. However, FromSoftware has already introduced a fun community feature that EA and Maxis should take note of, and that’s messages left by other players.
FromSoftware Should Give The Sims Franchise a Message
Both Dark Souls and Elden Ring have received immense acclaim for their gameplay, world-building, and much more. But a fun detail that both games have is the message feature, which allows players to leave little notes for each other. The feature is slightly different across FromSoftware’s catalog, but its effect remains fun and in some cases beneficial.
Messages can be placed down by players in various locations. These messages are not freely composed by players, but rather made up of different templates and key phrases. In the case of messages in Elden Ring, there are four composition types or sentence structures. Keywords often refer to enemies, people, things, battle tactics, actions, etc. Players can also rate notes that other players have left behind.
While Project Rene doesn’t have to copy FromSoftware’s messaging feature exactly, the game should have some sort of chat function. FromSoftware’s template format is a great way to limit what players can say, and therefore prevent hate speech, bullying, and other language EA and Maxis won’t want to accommodate. Perhaps having a template will give Simmers a way to officially learn some Simlish phrases. By picking specific words, Sims will “translate” these words and speak in Simlish, leaving the iconic language intact while still physically showing messages.
Information about Project Rene will always come at the will of EA and Maxis, but the Sims team needs to buff up multiplayer mode if Project Rene is as complex as they say. FromSoftware’s messaging feature could be a fun way for players to finally say “Sul-Sul!” to each other in Project Rene.
The Sims
Created by Will Wright and Maxis, and published by EA, The Sims is a long-running series of life simulation games with sandbox gameplay. Players create Sims and control every aspect of their lives, from the houses they live in to the jobs they work.