Check out this awesome City Living render! I absolutely love this!
News
13 Sep 2016 - 20:00
One word... APARTMENTS!
Oh and I see what you did there EA... San Myshuno hehe.
Squeeeeeee!
12 Sep 2016 - 21:36
ConcernedApe posted another update about version 1.1!
Hi everyone!
It’s been a wild weekend for me. I had a booth at PAX West… my first time ever going to a convention, let alone exhibiting at one! It was really amazing to meet so many people who appreciate Stardew Valley. The vast number of positive interactions I had is hard for me to comprehend, and when I start to think about it I get really emotional. I am very grateful to have met you all.
Some highlights of the convention:
- All the people doing Stardew Valley themed cosplay! I met Abigails, Emilys, Gunther, Shane, Sebastian, Leah, Jas, Maru, and several people who were dressed as their own in-game characters! One person had a locket with a picture of Sebastian in it. Another came with a fiberglass rod. Sebastian gifted me a potato! Very fun.
- People who brought me their Stardew Valley art, home-made jelly, and gave me hugs.
- Funny Stardew stories, like the guy who found a catfish in the trash can after his friend spent many hours fishing for one. Also the guy who listens to the soundtrack while doing yoga, and all the people who expressed their interest in marrying Pam.
- People’s personal & heartwarming stories about how the game helped them get through tough times. Thanks so much for sharing with me.
At PAX, I had one of the new features of version 1.1 available to demo, and I’d like to tell you all a little more about it.
When starting a new character in version 1.1, you’ll be able to choose from five different farm maps (including the original map). Each map is based on a different skill, and includes unique gameplay opportunities that correspond to that skill. Here’s a rundown:
Riverlands (fishing) — Lots of water, and fishing is actually viable, unlike the other farm maps. It also looks really nice!
Forest (foraging) — Forage items spawn on the west edge of the map, as well as renewable stumps. There is also a unique type of weed that spawns on the farm.
Hill-top (mining) — Lots of cliffs. There is a mining area to the southwest where ores and unique geode-bearing stones will spawn.
Wilderness (combat) — Plenty of farming space, but monsters come out at night.
Everything else in the patch should seamlessly integrate into your existing save files, but to play the new maps you’ll have to start a new character.
There’s a few more things I need to finish for the update, but it should be ready soon.
Thanks again to everyone I met at PAX for the kind words and suggestions!
-Ape
I'm very excited for the new farmland options! 
12 Sep 2016 - 20:39
The title is correct, in case you were wondering! The Sims studio announced that they're going to post an announcement trailer for The Sims 4: City Living tomorrow!
🏙 #TS4CityLiving pic.twitter.com/0jIkSGz80v
— The Sims (@TheSims) September 12, 2016
I'm quite excited to see what it's all about!
😱 😍 😱 😍 😱
I'm also extremely happy because I'm pretty sure city living means modern buildings and perhaps apartments or at least lofts? I'm just assuming stuff here, don't take it seriously! But I am currently working on my City Living Loft (how appropriate!!) and I am just screaming on the inside at the moment!
View more of my City Living loft work in progress screens here!
23 Aug 2016 - 21:10
Master All the Things! The Sims 4 Triple Boost Week: Skills and Careers is Live
Ever want to level all your Sims' Skills but they're all “I'm too tired to paint” or “I'm too sad to Exercise”? What about trying to climb that Career ladder but your Sim just... isn't feeling it? Well, clear your schedule for the next week, because The Sims 4™ Triple Boost Week: Skills and Careers is now live, free* for all players!
So, what does this mean? Simple: from August 22 at 10am PT until August 29 at 10am PT, your Sims can gain Skills at a whopping three times the usual rate, or gain a triple Job Performance Boost for base game Careers. All they'll need to do is head over to Jasmine Holiday (or call her on the phone) to get granted with seven in-game days of Skill or Career Boosts. You can do it as many times as you want during that period, giving your Sims plenty of time to reach the top of their Career, or Skill up enough to write the next great novel. You'll only be able to have one at a time, though - asking for a Skill Boost when you already have a Career boost will cancel the other one.
The Sims 4 Triple Boost Week: Skills and Careers is live right now, so grab some snacks and settle in; it’s time to make your Sim the master of everything!
Looking to learn more about recent updates to The Sims 4? Check out the Jealousy Reaction System updates, and learn about the free Nanny update.
*Requires all game updates or patches.
Awww yes! I know what I'll be doing this week!
7 Aug 2016 - 22:00
ConcernedApe posted an update about Stardew Valley version 1.1! Very excited to read about Shane and Emily.
Hello,
I’d like to give you a little update on what I’ve been up to. As you may know, I’ve been working on version 1.1 (a more substantial content update) for quite some time now. It’s taking longer than I had hoped, for a few reasons. For one, I am working on the update entirely on my own. That’s the way I made the rest of the game, it’s how I like to work, and I think it would be a bad idea to change it at this point. Secondly, I have post-release “maintenance” duties that take time away from pure development. This includes writing emails, working on business stuff, trying to maintain a social media presence, doing interviews, and more.
However, to be entirely honest… the main reason the update is taking so long is that I was feeling very burnt out for a while recently, and my productivity went way down. Stardew Valley has consumed nearly every waking moment of my life for almost five years now, and I think my brain demanded some time away from it. I had taken a very small break (a few days) a couple months after launch, but it wasn’t enough. I know I said I felt refreshed, but I was lying to myself. I should have just committed to a longer break. Rather, I spent the last couple of months dilly-dallying, playing video games all day, surfing the web, and feeling guilty about the trivial amount of real work I was doing.
In truth, I’ve always had ups and downs, periods of intense productivity and energy followed by periods of low motivation. I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember. This time around did seem a little worse than usual, but I reminded myself that with the success of Stardew Valley, my life got very weird very suddenly. It’s probably normal to need some time to adjust. I’m not even sure if this recent funk was due to the sudden success, to my own volatile brain chemistry or simply a result of working too hard for too long without a break. Sometimes I forget that I am actually a human with the need to relax and have a little fun.
Whatever the cause, the good news is that I am now very productive again. I’ve accomplished more in the past week than I have in the previous few months, and I feel my usual level of energy and motivation. I am feeling very optimistic about the future.
Why am I telling you all this? I don’t even know, I just want to, it’s my style. I want to let you know that I’m still here and still at work, but I don’t want to craft some kind of story to fool people into supporting me. I want to tell you the truth and let you form your own opinion. Anyway, thank you for reading my message.
Here’s where I’m at on version 1.1:
- Shane’s marriage stuff is completely finished.
- Emily is 80% finished. I am working on her now and making rapid progress.
- New farm buildings
- A new upgrade option for your house
- Ability to move buildings
- New items and crops
- More spouse behaviors
Still planning on doing:
- Something I’m not ready to reveal yet, but will add more replay value to the game
- more buildings
- some more character events for non-marriage NPC’s
- more bug fixes
- ???
When will this be released? I’m not sure. I made a lot of estimates during the pre-release development of Stardew Valley and was always wildly off, so I’ve learned not to do that anymore. All I can say is that the update will be ready as soon as it possibly can be, and while I want to release it soon, I won’t compromise on quality to make that happen. As always, thanks for your patience.
In other news:
I am going to have a little booth at PAX West this year. If you’re going, make sure to stop by and say hi!
Multiplayer, console versions, and localizations are all in active development.
Thanks for reading!
-Ape
13 Mar 2016 - 17:03
For those of you wondering why I've been so inactive lately, here's why! I gave birth to Quinn last month. I've been pretty much busy recovering ever since (I had preeclampsia, and a breech baby, so I had to get an emergency cesarean), and of course I've been busy with the baby.
(and no, this isn't my first baby. He has an older brother 
)
13 Feb 2016 - 01:27
EA made a couple of printable Valentine's Day cards, one of which has a Sims 4 theme. I think they're all lovely. I just think they are very low-res, so they'll probably come out really pixelated when you actually decide to print them. But they sure are cute!
Here is a foldable version too:
12 Feb 2016 - 23:48
SimGuruRiley made these adorable Valentine's Day crafts for her colleagues at The Sims Studio! Aren't they the best?
Are you making anything Sims related for Valentine's Day? Let us know!
12 Jan 2016 - 20:11
Just got an e-mail from EA announcing Origin Access. Unfortunately I can't see anything beyond this e-mail, as it's not available in my area yet. But I thought it was worth mentioning it anyway!
At EA, we’re passionate about giving our players more variety, more flexibility, more value, and more fun. Today we're thrilled to announce a new membership service for PC gamers on Origin called Origin Access. It's available now in the U.S., Canada, UK and Germany and coming to more countries soon.
Origin Access brings players endless gaming with a growing collection of great PC games for just £3.99 a month.
This new service launches with 15 great games, including Battlefield 4™, Dragon Age™: Inquisition, The Sims™ 3, and This War of Mine with more titles from EA and independent developers added over time. The complete list of titles currently available in The Vault can be found at https://www.origin.com/store/origin-access .
Origin Access members will be able to:
- Play More – Explore The Vault where members can download and play full versions of more than a dozen great PC games
- Play First –Play EA’s PC games for a limited time before they're released. All your stats and progress carry over if you decide to buy the game
- Play for Less – Save 10% on your Origin purchases – from full games and DLC to content packs and more
