More Corroboration for Patrick Kelly:  The Sims 4 was originally an online game

Now that The Sims 4 has been officially announced it’s showing up on more resumes corroborating the information that Patrick Kelly shared over the summer.  Production started on The Sims 4 back in 2008, it was an internet based game and even the project name Olympus was used. 

After the first sketches were released for the Sims 4 and matched Patrick Kelly’s UI mock ups there was little doubt left that he worked on the game but some doubt has remained given his erratic behavior.  

What’s also interesting is that there’s already another Unannounced Sims Project being worked on concurrently with The Sims 4.   Whether that project is The Sims Icarus that was also on Kelly’s resume, the first expansion pack or something entirely new we’ll have to wait and see. 

Although, I’m inclined to think it’s the first expansion pack for The Sims 4.  They lost so much time working on the online version of the game and given what Grant Rodiek had to say in the IGN interview it seems likely:

Grant Rodiek: It’d be very cool. Right now we have our hands full with the PC. PC and Mac is our entire focus… It’s just one of those things that the base game is just so big and so important and it has to last forever, and so we try not to get pulled in too many directions.

Brian Neal
Senior Software Engineer
Electronic Arts
August 2008 – Present (5 years 3 months)

Lead Systems Engineer — The Sims 4 (2014)
The Sims 4 - August 2008 – Present

Gil Colgate
Senior Engineer
Electronic Arts
March 2006 – Present (7 years 8 months)

Titles:
Sims 4. Got to work on clustered servers, chat systems, scaling and performance, and other internet style stuff when it was an internet based game. Also became python internals guru.
Sims 4. Optimization.

Lori Schilling
Senior Project Lead
Electronic Arts
January 2013 – Present (10 months)Baton Rouge, Louisiana Area

PROJECT: Olympus, Sims 4
The fourth installment of the highly successful Sims video game series

Brian Bell
Senior Software Engineer
Electronic Arts
October 2004 – Present (9 years 1 month)

I’m a team lead at Electronic Arts, working on an unannounced Sims-franchise title. I develop and direct work on our animation, locomotion, and pathplanning technology stack.

(Open) 2 projects

        Unannounced Sims Project
        The Sims 4

Background Information

Patrick Kelly first came to our attention back in April when SimsVIP posted pre-production screenshots from his website.  They learned of the site from an anonymous email but didn’t post the pictures until eight months later when they stated, “The website was since deleted after EA was notified of the “leak”. 

Things really got interesting when when Siminati "found” his website again a few months later and started making videos and sharing everything including emails.

At that time Patrick began interacting with the community and gave us some behind the scenes details about The Sims 4 that wasn’t part of his resume and portfolio on his website.   Mainly he told us that the original concept for the Sims 4 was a multiplayer online game that was in development from 2008 - 2012.  And that after three years the idea was finally scrapped because the online concept had connection issues, major limitations because of the multiplayer aspect,  and the quality was low.

Previously Released Information

Video:  The Sims 4 Olympus (Concept Video)

Photo:  Email from Patrick Kelly (right click and view for a readable size)

Excerpts from the above email to Siminati:

From what I’ve been told, the game is a mess, the studio is a mess, and people are so frustrated they are about to revolt.  Making games isn’t as glamorous as people think, in fact its pretty cut-throat, but the current generation of Sims designers are taking it to another level.

Photo:  Logo Comparison

The most obvious clue that they are scrambling now is the inexplicably boring Sims 4 logo, which looks like it was created in under a minute and designed by a committee of clueless producers. 

But believe me if EA could keep this stuff under-wraps, they would.  I know from personal experience…  There’s some reason they’re letting this stuff out now, probably to distance themselves for a design they wasted 3 years developing but no one really liked.

Video:  The Evolution of The Sims 4 by Patrick Kelly |  You can watch Part II HERE.  Edit:  Videos removed 10-21-2013 at Patrick Kelly’s request and a photo of edited screen captures was put in its place.

He even went so far as to register at Mod The Sims and start a Questions and Answers thread which he later deleted along with his website and linkedin profile.   The tone of that thread was much more professional and respectful towards EA and his peers. 

Cavia porcellus started a thread on SimsGlobe’s forums to relay what Patrick was saying on Mod The Sims at the time so we have a record of some of what was said. 

Some of the Q&A:

• A:  And BTW, EA isn’t “the evil empire” or anything like that. The Sims label especially is full of really talented creative people who will more than likely deliver an awesome TS4 game in 2014. Generally the problems come from upper management who control the budget. There is a constant struggle between the designers and producers trying to get every great new feature possible into the game and the management who want to cut costs and get the game out as soon as possible.

• A:  TS4 development has been going on for many years. The big thing that changed was dropping online for offline. They were most likely able to keep the parts that didn’t require online though like CAS and Build/Buy.

Photo:  Similarities between the concept art and the leaked UI

• Q:  What is your opinion on the striking similarity between the concept art released by EA and the girl sitting on the right on one of your leaked images? 

  A:  Remember the one in the mockup was for an online game meaning it was a low poly model. Now that its offline, they will be able to add much more detail to the character than what is shown in the mockup.

From his linkedin profile that’s been removed:

My [Patrick Kelly] most recent project for The Sims Label (2011 – 2012) involved creating detailed Flash mockups exploring game play and UI designs for two potential online versions of The Sims 4 (The Sims Olympus and The Sims Icarus).

From his personal website that’s been removed:

The Sims 4 Pre-Production
UI/UX Designer/ Engineer/ Artist

Worked with UI design team, game engineers, and artists to design, explore and prototype gameplay features, UI elements and animation sequences for potential versions of Sims 4. Assisted game play engineers in animation layout, actionscript code integration and production of UI elements. Participated in Agile and Scrum development methods.

Gameplay (animation controls below)
Loading Screen
Chat Window
Interaction > Looping
Interaction > Success
Interaction > Failure
Loot Payout

The Sims 4 Tools Software
UI/UX Designer

Worked with Tools Team and UI Director to redesign interfaces for existing tools and design interfaces for new tools utilizing Photoshop, Illustrator and Silverlight. Tools are used primarily for game designers and producers to design lots, specify interactions and track user progress.

Object Editor Previous Interface
Object Editor Redesigned Interface
Object Editor Annotated for Implementation

http://pkellysf.com/

Q: The TS4 concept work aside, were you ever trying to convey an actual message or hint about the status/features or completion of the game through your website? Or were they mostly fake hints to appease the prying eyes of the sims community?

I for one would like to know if the flash animations which mentioned the direction of the game were true, I’d be ecstatic if we got something similar to TS2.
A: I only have knowledge of how TS4 looked up until early 2012 when it was still an online multiplayer game. The build mode flash demo I posted was based on ideas the designers were exploring for making adding floors and extra rooms easier. This feature may or may not be in the final game, but I really liked it.

And BTW, EA isn’t “the evil empire” or anything like that. The Sims label especially is full of really talented creative people who will more than likely deliver an awesome TS4 game in 2014. Generally the problems come from upper management who control the budget. There is a constant struggle between the designers and producers trying to get every great new feature possible into the game and the management who want to cut costs and get the game out as soon as possible.

I personally would like to see the game move more towards The Sims 2 also. We’ll both have to wait until August to find out

Q: So up until last year the game was multiplayer online? Is it even possible to change the mechanics of the game without breaking it?
A: From what I read in the announcement, they decided to go with a new game engine for the offline version. (The game engine is basically the 3D world of the game.

The Interactions and User Interface are separate from the 3D world/game engine. They will have to hook up the Interactions and UI to the new 3D engine.

The online 3D world (which you all saw in the demos) used a different engine and the world, objects and characters were what’s called “low-poly”.

For an online game you are restricted by the internet connection so the world, objects and characters were simplified. No one was happy with the quality of the online version so it’s a good thing that they moved to offline.

The push for online comes mostly from the marketing and business side of the business. It’s much easier to sell you customized products in the store if they are able to track you “live” while you are playing online. But as we have seen in The Sims Social and SimCity Online, The Sims just isn’t fun to play as an online game.

Now I understand they are going to have “limited” online features. My guess is that when you get online, your player data( which was stored locallywhile you were playing offline) will be sent back to EA so they can customize products and services to enhance your game play experience. This will be spelled out in the privacy policy but nothing to be too concerned with. In fact it would probably be good to sign up for this so the CAN send you individualized content. And, EA is pretty good when it comes to privacy. They need to keep the trust of the players.
Especially The Sims Label! They are completely focused on delivering a high quality game with the best features and creating a player experience you will love.

Like I said before, there is a team of really talented designers, artists, engineers, and producers working their butts off to deliver a great game in 2014.

Q: I have a question pk I just want to know when you were working on the sims 4 did the sims look good??
A: I always though they looked good but then again I was working on the User Interface/User Experience Design for the game
The characters go through many-many changes while the game is in development and while I have no idea what they will look like when the game comes out, I can guarantee you they will not look like the ones in the images you saw.

Especially now that the game is offline, the designers will be adding more detail to the models, clothing, accessories, and objects in the game world. I’m sure they will be coming out with spectacular looking Sims but again I have no inside knowledge of what they will look like.

Q: What was the motive behind the “daily” website changes? – To things being there one second and gone the next, putting the images there one day and not the next… putting the skull…?
A: I can’t say there was any official motive other than frustration which came from having people draw conclusions about the look and feel of the game by viewing UI mockups. Usually when creating a UI mockup, we put a development image in the background and focus on the UI.
My other frustration came from receiving agressive emails and reading negative posts calling me a scammer, a liar, crazy, etc. The original post on this website was particularly damaging to me so I tried not to pay too much attention. But my “creative” darker side came out so I thought if they think I’m crazy then I’ll just post crazy stuff.

Q: And how many hits has that site had in the last month or so? XD I’d love to know. Must’ve been a bit of a shock :P
A: The number of hits did go up dramatically when “the video”s from http://www.pkellysf.com were initially posted, from one or two a day to a few thousand a day. I stopped paying attention to that about a month ago. And I have to say, I had no idea people were so passionate about The Sims, even though I worked on the games for many years. I think it’s cool that you guys are so into it so much but wasn’t ready for the tsunami.

Q: Has this gotten you in trouble with EA? And why do you think they have done nothing to dispel rumours / have made no comments on the forums?
A: First off I have to say again that EA is a really good company. I thoroughly enjoyed the many years I worked there especially in The Sims Studio. They are the best group of people I have ever worked with…very-very creative, talented and passionate about work and play.
I wouldn’t say “trouble” since I don’t work for EA anymore. I think their main concern is not having anything out there that will be confusing for Players. . I guess I wasn’t clear enough that those images/mockups were from an early version of the game.

Q: Yes, thank you. I’m just hoping the developers, etc. aren’t rushing to get the product out next year. I’d rather them take their time and give us a really great game.
A: Sometimes having a deadline is a good thing because it makes you focus on getting out your best work. I wouldn’t worry too much about them rushing though, they have plenty of time to make revisions and changes and still deliver a great game. There are a lot of really dedicated, talented people focused on delivering a great new Sims game.

Q: I’m sorry there was such a crazy storm kicked up because of the videos, PK. Kind of makes me wish I had emailed you when I was tempted to just to show a glimmer of good in people, but I was too shy and didn’t want my support to be thought of as exploitation in any way. I just saw a man wishing to set the record straight but being met with resistance and doubt. We can be a stubborn bunch.
A: Thanks for that. It was fun at first watching the videos but it quickly grew out of control. I didn’t quite know how to respond and was overwhelmed by the attention. I’m actually a really quiet, sensitive person and was not expecting this kind of attention.
I really didn’t know that people were so passionate about this game but now I know. Maybe I should turn http://www.pkellysf.com into a Sims fansite lol! That would be hilarious!

Q: I’m almost sure that I read somewhere that there was another online version of The Sims 4, called Icarus. Is this true, and if it is, do you know something about it?
A: When a game is in development it is given an internal “code-name”. It’s a name that is used internally and generally is never associated with the final name of the game. For instance, when I was working on Sims2 Castaway, the “code-name” was “Stranded”.
So “Icarus” was just a code-name given to a game being explored, not necessarily developed. Many game ideas are explored and prototyped but never “published.”

Q: If your mockups were for PC, why did you refer to them as being for a mobile game at one time?
A: The game I worked on was designed to be delivered on many platforms, PC being the primary platform. The different versions are usually developed together and typically the User Interface is the same across all platforms so the terms for the delivery platforms are inter-changeable.

Q: A survey about The Sims 4 leaked not too long ago. Do you recognize some of tne online features from Olympus in it? Like co-op gameplay?
A: I haven’t seen the survey so I can’t comment on the features. Co-op gameplay seems like something you would do in an MMO. I’m just curious Vss2eip, would you want to play The Sims with your friends online? What features would be the most fun to play with friends and which features would you want to play by yourself? (BTW, I’m just curious…I’m not trying to do a market research study.)

Feel free to send me a copy. I’ll post my email on http://www.pkellysf.com as soon as I get a chance to update the site (…with something meaningful lol).

Q: Just another little question if you can answer it – the mock ups hinted at some sort of “romance skill”.
A: I believe Romance is an interaction …but now that you mention it, I distinctly remember Romance being a Skill in the mockups. That really does ring a bell

Q: This all means the game is going to be cr*p because if you left in 2012 and thats when they scrapped it then they only have one year to fix it….thats not right
A: I’m sure they were able to keep some parts of the game that didn’t require online like CAS and Build/Buy.

Q: Thank you for answering my questions. In terms of online gameplay, playing with someone in a closed world sounds like fun, and it could lead to funny and disastrous situations. I know that quite a bit of players have been wanting co-op gameplay for a long time.

One more question: You said that development started in 2008 and got scrapped in 2012. Did the shutdown of The Sims Online inspired a new Sims online game and/or did the negative feedback on The Sims 3: Showtime’s online features somehow influenced for the game to be scrapped, along with other negative feedback about the quality of the game?] – I was unclear here…
A: TS4 development has been going on for many years. The big thing that changed was dropping online for offline. They were most likely able to keep the parts that didn’t require online though like CAS and Build/Buy.

As far as what causes a game to be scrapped, the most likely culprite is money. If it’s not making money for the company they aren’t going to keep it around. That’s just part of the business.

Q: Hmmm,I want to ask.Did ts4 will be friendly for CC(custom content)?And the game will be easy modifiable?(cuz people,who create cc and mods for ts3 have to “walk the way of Christ” till they can create something really good)
A: User Interaction is a MAJOR focus of TS4. They really want to make playing the game a fun and enjoyable experience, not a hassle…
Maxis has some extremely talented UI/UX (User Interface/User Experience) designers who will be making sure concerns like yours are addressed.

Q: Just a facetious question … what was the significance of the red hat?
And BTW, I liked SimSoc and SimCitySoc … didn’t mind the online aspect … but the bugs in both games proved to be dreadful. One reason why many people left, and perhaps one reason why The Sims isn’t quite ready for always-online yet.
A: The red hat is from David Thorne’s article called “Missing Missy”. It will have you ROTFL… http://www.27bslash6.com/missy.html
You may be right. Sims has never really done online well. Hopefully by scaling it back for TS4 they will be able to implement it correctly. We’ll have to wait until next year to find out though.

Q: You say “the characters go through many many changes while the game is in development and while I have no idea what they will look like when the game comes out, I can guarantee you they will not look like the ones in the images you saw.”

What is your opinion on the striking similarity between the concept art released by EA and the girl sitting on the right on one of your leaked images?
A: Honestly I’ve never really looked closely at the two images, but they do seem similar… That’s a UI Designer for you, always looking at the interface, never paying attention to the game…

Remember the one in the mockup was for an online game meaning it was a low poly model. Now that its offline, they will be able to add much more detail to the character than what is shown in the mockup.
I really like Albert’s concept drawing. I’m curious now, do you like the images? –Patrick Kelly, Mod The Sims