Latest / The Plumbob Report / Marketplace Chaos, 90s Nostalgia, and InZOI’s Big Swing

Transcript

Marketplace Chaos, 90s Nostalgia, and InZOI’s Big Swing · The Plumbob Report

• 0:00
  [Becca Hartwell] Tchau.
• 0:12
  [Danny Reyes] So Sul, everybody,
• 0:13
  [Danny Reyes] and welcome back to the Plumbob Report.
• 0:16
  [Speaker 3] Sul sul and also what the heck we have a lot to talk about today
• 0:21
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah, we really do.
• 0:22
  [Danny Reyes] The exciting news soon whispers are back, and the Marketplace is somehow doing numbers while EA cracks down on cracked sets and drops this very...
• 0:34
  [Danny Reyes] curious survey.
• 0:35
  [Speaker 3] Right. They said,
• 0:37
  [Speaker 3] Please rate how likely you are to spend real money on three clutter items and a dream,
• 0:41
  [Speaker 3] basically.
• 0:43
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 0:44
  [Danny Reyes] I need to nerd out for a second,
• 0:45
  [Danny Reyes] but I will behave because the big question is whether these paid sets can even hang next to the insane free CC out right now.
• 0:54
  [Speaker 3] Speaking of unhinged, the 90s CC world is on fire.
• 0:58
  [Speaker 3] We've got full Mall makeovers.
• 1:00
  [Speaker 3] There's perfect grunge CAS and then EA drops Artsy Boho like 'Here are three plants.
• 1:07
  [Speaker 3] You're welcome.'
• 1:08
  [Danny Reyes] One of which is absolutely a base game mesh in a funky hat,
• 1:11
  [Danny Reyes] I swear.
• 1:12
  [Speaker 3] And then InZOI shows up with an Anniversary patch that's like,
• 1:16
  [Speaker 3] here's your cozy flower shop and also crime.
• 1:19
  [Speaker 3] Motherlode energy right there.
• 1:22
  [Danny Reyes] Exactly.
• 1:22
  [Danny Reyes] System drama,
• 1:24
  [Danny Reyes] generous early access roadmap,
• 1:26
  [Danny Reyes] while the Sims leans harder into micro,
• 1:29
  [Danny Reyes] into tiny paid bites.
• 1:31
  [Danny Reyes] We have thoughts.
• 1:32
  [Speaker 3] Plus, we have to talk about that Resident Evil Care Center build.
• 1:36
  [Speaker 3] The Single Girl dates her Mom's Ex-Lover save,
• 1:40
  [Speaker 3] and the tragic untalented son in InZOI.
• 1:44
  [Danny Reyes] Warmly:
• 1:45
  [Danny Reyes] Grab your tea,
• 1:46
  [Danny Reyes] back up your saves,
• 1:47
  [Danny Reyes] and check that your Sims are not cooking mac and cheese unattended.
• 1:51
  [Speaker 3] Okay,
• 1:51
  [Speaker 3] Chaos Crew,
• 1:52
  [Speaker 3] let's jump into the news and see what this exciting Marketplace era really looks like.
• 1:58
  [Danny Reyes] All right,
• 1:59
  [Danny Reyes] first segment:
• 2:00
  [Danny Reyes] news analysis and community reactions.
• 2:02
  [Danny Reyes] Coming up.
• 2:09
  [Danny Reyes] We want to hear from you.
• 2:10
  [Danny Reyes] Submit questions via the web form in the description or give us a call at 747-677-1037 and leave your question.
• 2:19
  [Danny Reyes] Don't be shy.
• 2:20
  [Danny Reyes] Our AI assistant makes it super easy.
• 2:28
  [Danny Reyes] Sul Sul Marketplace Chaos Edition of the Plumbob Report.
• 2:32
  [Danny Reyes] We have rumors,
• 2:34
  [Danny Reyes] we have Simoleons, and we have EA surveys.
• 2:38
  [Speaker 3] Breaking news!
• 2:40
  [Speaker 3] EA found swimming in a vault of digital couches and single tile plants refuses to come out!
• 2:45
  [Danny Reyes] The pool ladder is firmly removed.
• 2:48
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 2:49
  [Danny Reyes] so quick context.
• 2:50
  [Danny Reyes] Insiders have been hinting that exciting news for Sims 4 is
• 2:54
  [Danny Reyes] is very soon.
• 2:55
  [Speaker 3] Right.
• 2:56
  [Danny Reyes] From what I'm hearing,
• 2:57
  [Danny Reyes] that probably means one of three things,
• 3:00
  [Danny Reyes] a new expansion announcement,
• 3:02
  [Danny Reyes] big Marketplace tweaks,
• 3:04
  [Danny Reyes] or a fresh roadmap.
• 3:05
  [Speaker 3] Yeah,
• 3:06
  [Speaker 3] not like, we secretly finished Sims 5,
• 3:08
  [Speaker 3] surprise!
• 3:09
  [Danny Reyes] Exactly.
• 3:10
  [Danny Reyes] And because Marketplace is the hot potato right now,
• 3:14
  [Danny Reyes] I'm leaning towards Marketplace changes tied into a roadmap beat.
• 3:18
  [Speaker 3] Same, especially because the word on the street is...
• 3:22
  [Speaker 3] That Marketplace is already beating EA's expectations.
• 3:25
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah.
• 3:27
  [Speaker 3] Which, honestly,
• 3:28
  [Speaker 3] my timeline was like,
• 3:29
  [Speaker 3] we hate this.
• 3:30
  [Speaker 3] And apparently EA's spreadsheet said,
• 3:32
  [Speaker 3] Motherlode energy right there.
• 3:35
  [Danny Reyes] Welcome to live service economics.
• 3:37
  [Danny Reyes] People can be mad and still buy the cute clutter.
• 3:40
  [Danny Reyes] I saw folks saying I was strong until I saw that one kitchen set.
• 3:44
  [Speaker 3] I mean, I get it. I've bought kits I was dragging two days before.
• 3:48
  [Danny Reyes] Same.
• 3:49
  [Danny Reyes] The other big thing is enforcement.
• 3:52
  [Danny Reyes] That cracked Marketplace account that was sharing paid sets for free just got wiped.
• 3:57
  [Speaker 3] Oh yeah,
• 3:57
  [Speaker 3] that burner that posted like the entire catalog.
• 4:01
  [Danny Reyes] Their whole profile vanished.
• 4:03
  [Danny Reyes] That tells me EA is taking Marketplace protection very seriously.
• 4:08
  [Danny Reyes] Legally, they kind of have to.
• 4:09
  [Speaker 3] Yeah, because if they want big brands or big creators in there,
• 4:12
  [Speaker 3] they have to show they'll swing the ban hammer.
• 4:15
  [Speaker 3] Exactly.
• 4:15
  [Danny Reyes] Exactly; and as someone who's talked to Devs about this stuff,
• 4:19
  [Danny Reyes] it fits the pattern:
• 4:21
  [Danny Reyes] they overcorrect hard on enforcement when money enters the chat.
• 4:24
  [Speaker 3] The wild part is watching CC Tumblr and Reddit react.
• 4:28
  [Speaker 3] Half of them were like "Good!
• 4:30
  [Speaker 3] Don't steal!" and the other half went "So where was this energy when broken packs shipped?
• 4:35
  [Danny Reyes] Both things can be true; protecting creators is good,
• 4:39
  [Danny Reyes] but you can feel the mismatch in priorities.
• 4:42
  [Speaker 3] Totally.
• 4:43
  [Danny Reyes] That ties into the official Marketplace survey that just went out.
• 4:47
  [Danny Reyes] I went through it, and they're asking very pointed questions.
• 4:50
  [Speaker 3] Yeah, walk us through that.
• 4:52
  [Speaker 3] Former games journalist mode activated.
• 4:55
  [Danny Reyes] OK,
• 4:55
  [Danny Reyes] I need to nerd out for a second.
• 4:57
  [Danny Reyes] The survey is really poking at price sensitivity,
• 5:00
  [Danny Reyes] bundle preferences,
• 5:01
  [Danny Reyes] and whether people want more small decor sets or big gameplay-heavy drops.
• 5:07
  [Speaker 3] So basically,
• 5:08
  [Speaker 3] how far can we push this before you riot?
• 5:11
  [Speaker 3] yet.
• 5:11
  [Danny Reyes] Kind of. There were questions like,
• 5:14
  [Danny Reyes] how often would you buy?
• 5:16
  [Danny Reyes] How important are creator brands?
• 5:18
  [Danny Reyes] And would you pay more for things like early access or bigger packs?
• 5:23
  [Speaker 3] That early access wording made my eye twitch.
• 5:26
  [Danny Reyes] Same.
• 5:27
  [Danny Reyes] This is where listeners can actually influence things.
• 5:30
  [Danny Reyes] When they ask about what matters,
• 5:32
  [Danny Reyes] that is the moment to scream fair revenue share for creators and don't resell base game assets with a new swatch.
• 5:40
  [Speaker 3] Yeah,
• 5:41
  [Speaker 3] and be really stingy on how often you'd pay.
• 5:44
  [Speaker 3] If everybody clicks monthly splurge, they will absolutely price for that.
• 5:48
  [Danny Reyes] Exactly.
• 5:49
  [Danny Reyes] Answer like a broke student on their first legacy challenge,
• 5:53
  [Danny Reyes] not like you have...
• 5:53
  [Danny Reyes] have infinite Motherlode.
• 5:55
  [Speaker 3] Also,
• 5:56
  [Speaker 3] whenever they ask what would make you buy more,
• 5:58
  [Speaker 3] write in stuff like better quality control,
• 6:01
  [Speaker 3] clearer creator cuts,
• 6:03
  [Speaker 3] maybe Marketplace sales that don't punish the maker,
• 6:06
  [Speaker 3] because
• 6:06
  [Danny Reyes] Yes, and value!
• 6:08
  [Danny Reyes] If you're checking,
• 6:09
  [Danny Reyes] this feels overpriced on half those examples,
• 6:12
  [Danny Reyes] that gives the data nerds something to point to internally.
• 6:15
  [Speaker 3] from my side,
• 6:17
  [Speaker 3] I'm seeing smaller CC creators wondering if they should even join this thing or...
• 6:21
  [Speaker 3] Or just stay on Patreon where they know the math.
• 6:24
  [Danny Reyes] Right; if the survey data pushes EA towards fairer splits and better content standards,
• 6:30
  [Danny Reyes] that helps both those creators and players who just want good stuff.
• 6:35
  [Speaker 3] But it comes back to the same question my comments are full of.
• 6:39
  [Danny Reyes] Which is?
• 6:40
  [Speaker 3] Okay,
• 6:40
  [Speaker 3] but are the sets actually worth it compared to what we're already getting for free?
• 6:45
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 6:46
  [Danny Reyes] and that is the real question:
• 6:49
  [Danny Reyes] if you line up Marketplace furniture with the CC drops...
• 6:52
  [Danny Reyes] Gobs people are obsessed with right now,
• 6:55
  [Danny Reyes] which one honestly wins?
• 7:02
  [Becca Hartwell] With that in mind, I want to talk about what people are actually downloading right now.
• 7:07
  [Danny Reyes] Yes, content talk.
• 7:09
  [Danny Reyes] Feed my mods folder.
• 7:11
  [Becca Hartwell] Your poor hard drive.
• 7:12
  [Becca Hartwell] But okay,
• 7:13
  [Becca Hartwell] 90s CC has taken over Sims community roundups lately,
• 7:17
  [Becca Hartwell] and it is hitting me right in the childhood.
• 7:20
  [Danny Reyes] Same.
• 7:20
  [Danny Reyes] The moment I saw the chunky platform sneakers and those tiny baby tees, I was like,
• 7:25
  [Danny Reyes] yep,
• 7:26
  [Danny Reyes] my game is a limited run Delia's catalog now.
• 7:29
  [Becca Hartwell] Exactly!
• 7:30
  [Becca Hartwell] And the clutter?
• 7:31
  [Becca Hartwell] I need to nerd out for a second because builders are doing whole sets with stacked VHS tapes,
• 7:37
  [Becca Hartwell] jewel case CDs,
• 7:39
  [Becca Hartwell] those translucent iMac-style plastics on electronics.
• 7:42
  [Danny Reyes] Mm-hmm.
• 7:43
  [Danny Reyes] The see-through purple GameKid thing?
• 7:45
  [Danny Reyes] I downloaded that so fast my game lagged in real time.
• 7:50
  [Becca Hartwell] That stuff completely changes how a build feels.
• 7:53
  [Becca Hartwell] You drop one of those old tube TVs and suddenly your starter home?
• 7:57
  [Becca Hartwell] Foam stops feeling like generic base game box and starts feeling like my aunt's living room where we watched TRL.
• 8:05
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah, it shifts the whole story.
• 8:07
  [Danny Reyes] My self-sim teenager looks different when the posters are boy bands and new metal instead of the usual modern abstract art.
• 8:14
  [Becca Hartwell] And CAS-wise,
• 8:15
  [Becca Hartwell] the hair?
• 8:16
  [Becca Hartwell] People are making proper crunchy butterfly clip styles,
• 8:20
  [Becca Hartwell] messy space buns with visible bobby pins.
• 8:23
  [Becca Hartwell] the over plugged brows?
• 8:24
  [Danny Reyes] Wow!
• 8:25
  [Danny Reyes] Those brows are a hate crime and I love them.
• 8:28
  [Danny Reyes] Also low rise jeans that look slightly wrong,
• 8:31
  [Danny Reyes] which is very accurate.
• 8:33
  [Becca Hartwell] It is very "This will ruin your posture"
• 8:35
  [Becca Hartwell] energy.
• 8:36
  [Becca Hartwell] But it shows what CC can do.
• 8:39
  [Becca Hartwell] These sets are not just recolors,
• 8:41
  [Becca Hartwell] they bring in whole silhouettes and objects we literally do not have.
• 8:45
  [Danny Reyes] Right!
• 8:46
  [Danny Reyes] You feel the love,
• 8:47
  [Danny Reyes] like somebody remembered exactly-
• 8:48
  [Danny Reyes] Exactly how a Discman sat on your bedside table.
• 8:52
  [Becca Hartwell] Yes!
• 8:52
  [Becca Hartwell] the headphone cord,
• 8:54
  [Becca Hartwell] the CD stack,
• 8:55
  [Becca Hartwell] even the weird metallic stickers on the case-those tiny details sell the era in a way official stuff rarely hits.
• 9:03
  [Becca Hartwell] But then you look at the new Artsy Boho bedroom Maker Set on the Marketplace.
• 9:07
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah.
• 9:08
  [Danny Reyes] Visually it's pretty Soft terracottas, muted greens,
• 9:12
  [Danny Reyes] nice rattan texture,
• 9:14
  [Danny Reyes] a cute
• 9:14
  [Danny Reyes] Cute tasseled duvet,
• 9:16
  [Danny Reyes] super Instagram.
• 9:17
  [Becca Hartwell] And I like the curved nightstand.
• 9:19
  [Becca Hartwell] Feels handcrafted. But once you actually use the set,
• 9:23
  [Becca Hartwell] it feels light.
• 9:24
  [Becca Hartwell] You have the bed,
• 9:25
  [Becca Hartwell] a couple tables,
• 9:26
  [Becca Hartwell] maybe a wall hanging,
• 9:28
  [Becca Hartwell] and then you start filling with base game plants again.
• 9:31
  [Danny Reyes] My test build was like Boho Bedroom plus the same potted plant I use in every house because there's nothing else in the set.
• 9:39
  [Becca Hartwell] And Builders notice that.
• 9:41
  [Becca Hartwell] I want the full fantasy:
• 9:43
  [Becca Hartwell] mismatched frames,
• 9:44
  [Becca Hartwell] incense clutter,
• 9:45
  [Becca Hartwell] maybe a messy paint splattered rug for the Artsy part,
• 9:48
  [Becca Hartwell] an open sketchbook,
• 9:50
  [Becca Hartwell] Coffee mug with brushes in it.
• 9:52
  [Danny Reyes] Half-finished macrame project.
• 9:54
  [Danny Reyes] Give me the fake boho influencer life.
• 9:57
  [Becca Hartwell] Exactly.
• 9:58
  [Becca Hartwell] Compare that to fan made boho CC sets where you get ten different cushions,
• 10:03
  [Becca Hartwell] hanging plants,
• 10:04
  [Becca Hartwell] fairy lights,
• 10:05
  [Becca Hartwell] floor pillows,
• 10:06
  [Becca Hartwell] all coordinated.
• 10:07
  [Becca Hartwell] Here is what really set people off.
• 10:09
  [Becca Hartwell] Folks are spotting reused models in some Marketplace sets.
• 10:13
  [Danny Reyes] Like, you look at a dresser and think, that's basically the base game mesh with new handles and a new swatch.
• 10:19
  [Danny Reyes] My comments were brutal.
• 10:22
  [Becca Hartwell] People saying,
• 10:22
  [Becca Hartwell] so I'm paying real money for something I already patched in with a free recolor two years ago?
• 10:29
  [Becca Hartwell] Builders feel really weird about that. If you charge,
• 10:32
  [Becca Hartwell] they want either new functionality.
• 10:34
  [Becca Hartwell] or at least shapes they can't already fake with an existing object.
• 10:38
  [Danny Reyes] And CC creators are side eyeing hard because they've been doing mesh edits for free forever.
• 10:45
  [Becca Hartwell] There's also the mental math.
• 10:47
  [Becca Hartwell] When a paid set gives you eight items and three look suspiciously familiar,
• 10:52
  [Becca Hartwell] it starts to feel like buying back your own catalog.
• 10:55
  [Danny Reyes] With a markup, congratulations,
• 10:58
  [Danny Reyes] you unlocked slightly different beige!
• 11:00
  [Becca Hartwell] Disappointment sand.
• 11:02
  [Becca Hartwell] But yeah,
• 11:03
  [Becca Hartwell] value per dollar is where CC is crushing Marketplace right now.
• 11:07
  [Becca Hartwell] That 90s bedroom CC pack might have 30 objects and wild swatches.
• 11:12
  [Danny Reyes] Meanwhile, your wallet is like,
• 11:14
  [Danny Reyes] we have Artsy Boho, Artsy Boho but blue,
• 11:18
  [Danny Reyes] and Artsy Boho Lite.
• 11:20
  [Becca Hartwell] So players are looking at other life sims and asking,
• 11:23
  [Becca Hartwell] who's giving me chaos and style without nickel and diming?
• 11:26
  [Becca Hartwell] every lamp; which is why people keep bringing up InZOI.
• 11:30
  [Danny Reyes] Big free systems,
• 11:32
  [Danny Reyes] wild updates,
• 11:33
  [Danny Reyes] and then you decide what's worth paying for.
• 11:36
  [Becca Hartwell] Yeah,
• 11:36
  [Becca Hartwell] that contrast is getting louder.
• 11:38
  [Becca Hartwell] And I want to get into what their Anniversary patch did,
• 11:41
  [Becca Hartwell] because it's had Sims players nervous and excited at the same time.
• 11:46
  [Danny Reyes] Because stealing cars in a life sim hits very different from rebuying a Boho bed.
• 11:52
  [Danny Reyes] ED.
• 11:53
  [Danny Reyes] D.
• 11:59
  [Becca Hartwell] Social and also-what the heck?--they added car theft!
• 12:04
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah, we are absolutely starting there.
• 12:06
  [Danny Reyes] This Anniversary edition patch,
• 12:08
  [Danny Reyes] people are literally calling it the GTA 6 update.
• 12:12
  [Danny Reyes] You've got this cozy flower shop,
• 12:14
  [Danny Reyes] then you turn the corner and someone's jacking a car.
• 12:17
  [Becca Hartwell] It is such a whiplash combo.
• 12:19
  [Becca Hartwell] On one hand, you have bouquet crafting,
• 12:21
  [Becca Hartwell] tiny plant shop vibes,
• 12:23
  [Becca Hartwell] all very Sunday morning save file.
• 12:25
  [Becca Hartwell] On the other,
• 12:26
  [Becca Hartwell] full crime system,
• 12:28
  [Becca Hartwell] cops,
• 12:28
  [Becca Hartwell] getaways.
• 12:29
  [Danny Reyes] And the wild thing is,
• 12:30
  [Danny Reyes] players are saying it makes their drama safe.
• 12:32
  [Danny Reyes] Emma's saves feel like old Sims chaos again,
• 12:35
  [Danny Reyes] like your wholesome florist secretly boosting cars to pay the rent.
• 12:40
  [Becca Hartwell] Exactly.
• 12:41
  [Becca Hartwell] That contrast is what classic sim stories always did well; you start with a nice suburban family and suddenly there's a cow plant in the backyard and a graveyard in the kitchen.
• 12:51
  [Danny Reyes] The full emotional range of a life sim.
• 12:54
  [Becca Hartwell] What I like is that InZOI built it as a system,
• 12:57
  [Becca Hartwell] not just a one-off scenario.
• 12:59
  [Becca Hartwell] So modders and storytellers can layer crime with careers,
• 13:03
  [Becca Hartwell] relationships,
• 13:04
  [Becca Hartwell] neighborhood reputation.
• 13:05
  [Danny Reyes] Right.
• 13:06
  [Danny Reyes] It becomes a toolbox,
• 13:07
  [Danny Reyes] not just a tiny checklist event.
• 13:10
  [Becca Hartwell] And that goes back to what the director said in those anniversary interviews.
• 13:13
  [Becca Hartwell] He basically admitted The Sims has ruled this space for decades because it lets you tell any story and stack weird systems together.
• 13:21
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah, he straight up said,
• 13:23
  [Danny Reyes] we're not trying to beat The Sims at being The Sims.
• 13:26
  [Danny Reyes] We're trying to give players a different set of toys.
• 13:26
  [Danny Reyes] And he talked about wanting more grounded simulation under the drama,
• 13:29
  [Becca Hartwell] so things like traffic rules,
• 13:33
  [Becca Hartwell] so things like traffic rules,
• 13:35
  [Becca Hartwell] fines,
• 13:36
  [Becca Hartwell] insurance,
• 13:37
  [Becca Hartwell] all feeding into that car theft system,
• 13:39
  [Becca Hartwell] very what if your soap opera actually had paperwork.
• 13:43
  [Danny Reyes] Oh, not the insurance gameplay.
• 13:46
  [Becca Hartwell] I know,
• 13:47
  [Becca Hartwell] but for storytellers, having consequences that go beyond a moodlet is huge.
• 13:52
  [Becca Hartwell] huge.
• 13:53
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah,
• 13:53
  [Danny Reyes] like in my saves,
• 13:54
  [Danny Reyes] if a Sim steals a car and the neighborhood cops remember that,
• 13:58
  [Danny Reyes] suddenly you have a long term rival.
• 14:00
  [Becca Hartwell] rival)
• 14:00
  [Becca Hartwell] that story fuel!
• 14:02
  [Danny Reyes] And then compare that to what we get on the Sims side right now.
• 14:06
  [Danny Reyes] We'll get,
• 14:06
  [Danny Reyes] say,
• 14:07
  [Danny Reyes] one new aspiration and a couple of whims tied to a pack,
• 14:11
  [Danny Reyes] but they rarely ripple across the whole world.
• 14:14
  [Becca Hartwell] Exactly. InZOI basically said,
• 14:16
  [Becca Hartwell] "Here's an entire crime web,
• 14:18
  [Becca Hartwell] and here's a cottage core flour business in the same free patch; meanwhile I'm over here calculating Marketplace cost per-
• 14:26
  [Becca Hartwell] percussion
• 14:26
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah.
• 14:27
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay,
• 14:27
  [Becca Hartwell] but wild pivot here.
• 14:29
  [Becca Hartwell] That roadmap they dropped for the rest of early access?
• 14:32
  [Becca Hartwell] That is a lot of stuff.
• 14:33
  [Danny Reyes] It is stacked. More neighborhoods,
• 14:36
  [Danny Reyes] deeper careers,
• 14:37
  [Danny Reyes] improved aging,
• 14:38
  [Danny Reyes] extra story events,
• 14:39
  [Danny Reyes] and the director kept emphasizing these are free updates while they're in early access.
• 14:43
  [Speaker 3] Wow.
• 14:44
  [Becca Hartwell] Which, if you're a Sims player who just watched a couch set show up with premium pricing,
• 14:48
  [Becca Hartwell] that hits different.
• 14:50
  [Danny Reyes] I mean, I get why people are side-eyeing it.
• 14:52
  [Danny Reyes] InZOI is saying you bought in once, you're testing with us,
• 14:55
  [Danny Reyes] here's more systems.
• 14:57
  [Danny Reyes] EA is saying here's a new micro collection on top of your packs and kits.
• 15:01
  [Becca Hartwell] And again,
• 15:02
  [Becca Hartwell] for me, it's not just the price.
• 15:04
  [Becca Hartwell] It's like, what am I getting mechanically?
• 15:07
  [Becca Hartwell] In InZOI roadmap,
• 15:08
  [Becca Hartwell] new job layers,
• 15:09
  [Becca Hartwell] neighborhood events,
• 15:10
  [Becca Hartwell] AI improvements.
• 15:12
  [Becca Hartwell] Sims roadmap,
• 15:13
  [Becca Hartwell] maybe a challenge scenario and another set.
• 15:16
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah,
• 15:16
  [Danny Reyes] the scale is different.
• 15:18
  [Danny Reyes] The Sims still has way more content overall,
• 15:20
  [Danny Reyes] but these InZOI
• 15:21
  [Danny Reyes] InZOI updates feel like they touch everything at once.
• 15:24
  [Danny Reyes] That's what makes people nervous for Sims 5.
• 15:26
  [Becca Hartwell] Because if a smaller studio can push big systemic patches for free while they build toward 1.0,
• 15:32
  [Becca Hartwell] then a huge company can't really get away with,
• 15:35
  [Becca Hartwell] here's three objects and a vibe forever.
• 15:37
  [Danny Reyes] And from a tech side,
• 15:39
  [Danny Reyes] it sends a message.
• 15:40
  [Danny Reyes] Players are getting used to crime systems,
• 15:42
  [Danny Reyes] more grounded city logic,
• 15:44
  [Danny Reyes] traffic,
• 15:45
  [Danny Reyes] vertical builds.
• 15:46
  [Danny Reyes] If Sims 5 shows up...
• 15:47
  [Danny Reyes] Goes up without that level of simulation,
• 15:49
  [Danny Reyes] people will notice.
• 15:50
  [Becca Hartwell] Yeah,
• 15:51
  [Becca Hartwell] like if my InZOI save knows which neighbor stole what,
• 15:54
  [Becca Hartwell] then my future Sim save better at least remember who started the kitchen fire.
• 15:59
  [Danny Reyes] Low bar,
• 16:00
  [Danny Reyes] but fair.
• 16:00
  [Becca Hartwell] So basically,
• 16:02
  [Becca Hartwell] InZOI is teaching people to expect big free systems,
• 16:05
  [Becca Hartwell] not just cute decor drops,
• 16:07
  [Becca Hartwell] and that's going to shape how everyone judges live services.
• 16:10
  [Danny Reyes] Which honestly makes the community side even more important.
• 16:14
  [Speaker 4] Excellent.
• 16:14
  [Becca Hartwell] Oh,
• 16:14
  [Becca Hartwell] totally.
• 16:15
  [Danny Reyes] Because none of these systems matter if players are not doing absolutely unhinged things with them.
• 16:20
  [Becca Hartwell] Speaking of unhinged, we need to talk about that Resident Evil care center build and the soap opera save files.
• 16:33
  [Danny Reyes] Shifting gears real fast,
• 16:34
  [Danny Reyes] I need to talk about that Resident Evil care center build.
• 16:38
  [Becca Hartwell] Oh my gosh,
• 16:39
  [Becca Hartwell] yes,
• 16:40
  [Becca Hartwell] the cursed daycare from hell!
• 16:42
  [Danny Reyes] It is so good-like medically unsafe but aesthetically flawless.
• 16:48
  [Danny Reyes] They nailed that glossy,
• 16:49
  [Danny Reyes] too clean hospital look with just enough grime.
• 16:53
  [Becca Hartwell] And the lighting!
• 16:54
  [Becca Hartwell] Why does every hallway look like the last thing you see before a jump scare?
• 16:58
  [Danny Reyes] Because they did what I always yell about.
• 17:01
  [Danny Reyes] Tiny wall lights,
• 17:02
  [Danny Reyes] low intensity,
• 17:03
  [Danny Reyes] super cold color; then one gross warm overhead in the lab so it feels sticky.
• 17:08
  [Becca Hartwell] Sticky light is such a specific insult.
• 17:12
  [Danny Reyes] It works,
• 17:13
  [Danny Reyes] though,
• 17:14
  [Danny Reyes] and big fandom crossovers fit this game perfectly; The Sims is basically a dollhouse engine for whatever brain rot you currently have.
• 17:22
  [Becca Hartwell] Exactly.
• 17:23
  [Becca Hartwell] You love Resident Evil,
• 17:24
  [Becca Hartwell] I love Chaos,
• 17:26
  [Becca Hartwell] suddenly we have a child care facility where the nap room has...
• 17:28
  [Becca Hartwell] has observation windows and probably a secret basement.
• 17:32
  [Danny Reyes] Which it did; and smart layout,
• 17:35
  [Danny Reyes] too-long sight lines so you always see a Sim wandering alone at the end of a corridor.
• 17:40
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay,
• 17:41
  [Becca Hartwell] build tips then.
• 17:42
  [Becca Hartwell] Horror me up.
• 17:43
  [Danny Reyes] (one)
• 17:44
  [Danny Reyes] Make hallways one tile narrower than you think.
• 17:47
  [Danny Reyes] Cramped equals scary.
• 17:49
  [Danny Reyes] (two)
• 17:50
  [Danny Reyes] Repeat objects weirdly.
• 17:51
  [Danny Reyes] Same wall decal every few tiles,
• 17:54
  [Danny Reyes] same plant in every room.
• 17:55
  [Danny Reyes] so it feels like a facility,
• 17:57
  [Danny Reyes] not a home.
• 17:58
  [Becca Hartwell] Very-we ordered these in bulk from Evil IKEA.
• 18:02
  [Danny Reyes] Exactly.
• 18:03
  [Danny Reyes] Three,
• 18:04
  [Danny Reyes] use locked doors and key cards.
• 18:06
  [Danny Reyes] You can fake it with club rules even in vanilla.
• 18:09
  [Danny Reyes] And don't forget sound.
• 18:10
  [Danny Reyes] Put TVs or talking toilets in rooms you can't reach so you hear muffled noise.
• 18:15
  [Becca Hartwell] Oh,
• 18:16
  [Becca Hartwell] that is nasty.
• 18:17
  [Becca Hartwell] You're standing in the hallway hearing a toilet argue with itself.
• 18:21
  [Becca Hartwell] That is-
• 18:21
  [Becca Hartwell] His peak horror.
• 18:23
  [Danny Reyes] Speaking of horror,
• 18:25
  [Danny Reyes] we have to hit the "Single Girl Dates Her Mom's Ex-Lover"
• 18:28
  [Danny Reyes] series.
• 18:29
  [Danny Reyes] That save file is a health hazard.
• 18:32
  [Becca Hartwell] I watched all of it-I couldn't look away-she literally met him at the wedding,
• 18:36
  [Becca Hartwell] clocked the chemistry,
• 18:38
  [Becca Hartwell] and the next episode is,
• 18:39
  [Becca Hartwell] "So I invited my mom's ex to karaoke.
• 18:43
  [Becca Hartwell] Ma'am!
• 18:44
  [Danny Reyes] The way the mom kept autonomously walking into the room during f
• 18:47
  [Danny Reyes] During flirty conversations,
• 18:49
  [Danny Reyes] that was worse than any jump scare.
• 18:51
  [Becca Hartwell] Autonomy was like,
• 18:53
  [Becca Hartwell] "Oh,
• 18:53
  [Becca Hartwell] you wanted drama?
• 18:54
  [Becca Hartwell] Say less!
• 18:55
  [Danny Reyes] Right.
• 18:55
  [Becca Hartwell] This is my favorite flavor of Sims content:
• 18:58
  [Becca Hartwell] long running,
• 18:59
  [Becca Hartwell] absolutely unhinged soap operas.
• 19:02
  [Danny Reyes] Because you start ironic like,
• 19:04
  [Danny Reyes] ha ha messy storyline,
• 19:05
  [Danny Reyes] and four generations later you care deeply about whether the secret half sibling gets closure.
• 19:11
  [Becca Hartwell] And mechanically, the game rewards it.
• 19:14
  [Becca Hartwell] Sentiments,
• 19:14
  [Becca Hartwell] lifestyles,
• 19:15
  [Becca Hartwell] awkward family gatherings—you stack it and the Harvestfest dinner is a three hour telenovela.
• 19:21
  [Danny Reyes] Plus,
• 19:22
  [Danny Reyes] the comments become part of the canon.
• 19:24
  [Danny Reyes] People are like,
• 19:25
  [Danny Reyes] she would never do that,
• 19:26
  [Danny Reyes] she's a Libra,
• 19:27
  [Danny Reyes] and you're writing your next episode around astrology,
• 19:31
  [Danny Reyes] the community as co-writer.
• 19:32
  [Becca Hartwell] But messy humans aren't just in our saves; we need to talk about the InZOI director calling his own kid an untalented son.
• 19:40
  [Becca Hartwell] one.
• 19:41
  [Danny Reyes] Oh my gosh,
• 19:42
  [Danny Reyes] yes,
• 19:42
  [Danny Reyes] that quote was wild!
• 19:44
  [Becca Hartwell] He's like I hired my son,
• 19:46
  [Becca Hartwell] he was mid,
• 19:47
  [Becca Hartwell] I felt bad about using players as testers instead.
• 19:50
  [Becca Hartwell] Sir,
• 19:51
  [Becca Hartwell] you did not have to say that on camera!
• 19:54
  [Danny Reyes] I get what he was trying to express though,
• 19:57
  [Danny Reyes] that guilt of shipping early and basically using the community as QA.
• 20:01
  [Becca Hartwell] And players latched onto both parts—half said "protect the son," half said "pay your QA team."
• 20:08
  [Danny Reyes] Which is fair.
• 20:09
  [Danny Reyes] The "sweet spot" is what we see in the best live sim communities:
• 20:13
  [Danny Reyes] devs share roadmaps,
• 20:15
  [Danny Reyes] admit when they miss,
• 20:16
  [Danny Reyes] and celebrate wild player stories instead of controlling them.
• 20:20
  [Becca Hartwell] And we,
• 20:20
  [Becca Hartwell] in return,
• 20:21
  [Becca Hartwell] roast them a little,
• 20:22
  [Becca Hartwell] buy the game when it's fun,
• 20:24
  [Becca Hartwell] and send screenshots of our Sims making out with their mom's ex in a haunted care center.
• 20:29
  [Danny Reyes] The full circle.
• 20:32
  [Becca Hartwell] That is the circle of life Sims.
• 20:34
  [Danny Reyes] If we keep getting strong tools the community will handle the rest.
• 20:38
  [Becca Hartwell] And probably make it weirder.
• 20:40
  [Danny Reyes] ALWAYS.
• 20:46
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 20:46
  [Danny Reyes] so if there's one thing to walk away with today,
• 20:49
  [Danny Reyes] it's this:
• 20:50
  [Danny Reyes] that Marketplace survey is basically our chance to say "pay creators fairly and stop charging us for stuff we already have with a new swatch.
• 20:59
  [Speaker 5] Mm-hmm.
• 21:00
  [Becca Hartwell] Right; that survey is the real end game boss fight.
• 21:03
  [Becca Hartwell] Answer it like your Sim's rent depends on it.
• 21:06
  [Danny Reyes] Exactly; and,
• 21:07
  [Danny Reyes] um,--while you're doing that,
• 21:09
  [Danny Reyes] remember your bills and chaos saves still matter more than any storefront.
• 21:14
  [Danny Reyes] That's peak Sims,
• 21:15
  [Danny Reyes] honestly.
• 21:16
  [Becca Hartwell] So,
• 21:16
  [Becca Hartwell] basically back up your saves,
• 21:18
  [Becca Hartwell] bully that survey,
• 21:20
  [Becca Hartwell] and keep your sims away from the pool with no ladder.
• 21:23
  [Becca Hartwell] You know the drill.
• 21:24
  [Danny Reyes] If you enjoyed hanging out with us,
• 21:25
  [Danny Reyes] hit follow,
• 21:26
  [Danny Reyes] drop a quick review-
• 21:27
  [Danny Reyes] Do and tell another Simmer who loves messy stories.
• 21:30
  [Speaker 3] Yeah.
• 21:31
  [Becca Hartwell] And send us your wildest life sim drama on socials at Plumbob Report.
• 21:35
  [Becca Hartwell] I want the unhinged screenshots.
• 21:38
  [Danny Reyes] Thanks for listening,
• 21:39
  [Danny Reyes] Simmers!
• 21:40
  [Becca Hartwell] Bye friends!
• 21:40
  [Danny Reyes] Talk to you next time on the Plumbob Report.