‘The goal was always to create engaging and varied content that supported players ideas and stories, not historical realism’ — The Sims 4’s lead game designer talks Royalty and Legacy | Daily Reports Online
The latest The Sims 4 expansion pack is here, and it’s one of my favorites yet. Blending rich story-building gameplay mechanics with gorgeous new assets and worldbuilding lore, Royalty and Legacy is among the best-rounded packs I’ve played in the 12 years since the game was released.
There’s a bit of something for a lot of player types here, but mostly it’s the lore-rich, expansive world and opportunities for creating richer storylines with features like Dynasties and Scandals that captured my imagination.
I had the opportunity to speak with Xènia Peña, The Sims 4’s lead game designer, to ask more about how one of the best Sims 4 expansions I’ve played came together.
“The whimsical world of the Sims”
The backdrop for Royalty and Legacy is Ondarian, a sprawling coastal town home to a wide range of Sims. Fan-favorite Sims like the Capp and Monty families and even Princess Cordelia find home here in this diverse backdrop for Noble nonsense, as well as newer entries to the franchise, such as the Darong family.
Of course, your Sims exist in a world with mobile phones, ray guns and other modern technologies, but nothing is out of bounds in what Peña calls the “whimsical world of the Sims,” and that includes packs inspired by history.
“We pulled inspiration from a variety of periods, because Royalty and Legacy is an interpretation of Noble Life,” explains Peña. “The goal was always to create engaging and varied content that supported players’ ideas and stories, not historical realism. It’s not exactly great gameplay to have your Sim sit at a desk signing documents all day!”
The result is a glorious mishmash of motifs and mechanics, with Peña highlighting: “You’ll see references to medieval themes, like swordsmanship tournaments and chivalric duels to defend honor, sitting right alongside contemporary elements such as diplomatic media appearances.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be a The Sims pack without a healthy dose of the surreal thrown into the mix; and storybook fantasy elements like consulting a magical mirror or being challenged by a mythological god made for the perfect fit. “We wanted players to be able to shift the lens of noble life toward whatever inspires them most, whether that’s historical gameplay, something more contemporary, or a touch of storybook magic.”
Paired like fine Nectar
Set in the new world of Ondarion, a coastal kingdom with three opulent neighbourhoods ruled by powerful families, this nobility-themed expansion introduces a wealth of new storytelling mechanics, particularly in the Scandals and Dynasty features.
Dynasties create the opportunity to add some prestige around your Sims families, with a nominated Dynasty head acting as the de facto champion for its values and activities. Obliging these gains your Dynasty rank and points to unlock perks and benefits (much like other expansion packs that use the Social Groups panel for things like organizations and clubs), and gain prestige to lord over other Sims.
Division between Dynasty members can lead to instability, restricting your Dynasty’s ability to assert its good (or at the very least infamous) name for power – I found this was quite hard to accidentally mess up, even when family members had opposing viewpoints, so long as social interactions remain friendly.
You can even nominate family members as outcasts if they don’t quite fit the mold, and form alliances or feuds with other prestigious families. It’s a great addition for Sims family players who want new ways to manifest their storylines, and I can’t wait to see how Dynasties will interface with other packs.
With Scandals, your Sims can hack, purchase, or observe other Sims’ secrets, then choose whether to expose or exploit these assets to further manifest their own power. When my gossip-loving Sim uncovered Geoffrey Langraab’s penchant for frog kissing, for example, I was able to extort him for some of his many, many simoleons. You can also exploit Sims to force them to abandon their Noble titles, accept outcasts from their dynasties back into the fold and more.
Should you choose to expose a secret, the Sim in question and any co-conspirators will be subject to a scandal, earning the ire of Sims around them, affecting their career, and even Dynasty Prestige. Or, of course, you make friends by promising to keep such secrets away from the prying eyes of the ton.
The friends and foes you make along the way could come in pretty handy should anyone unearth your own illicit behaviour; my Sim was eventually outed for losing a sword fight against a commoner (the scandal of it all!), but it was quickly remedied in the same way many of the best celebrities and influencers escape the consequences of their actions; by denying the accusation online.
And where better is there to score some juicy gossip than at a Grand Ball, the new event type that sees great families connect over drinks, dancing and dirty little secrets. Simply select your dance partner for romance, fame or friendship and you can commence a joint waltz with other couples at the party; it’s a little stiff but pretty cute to watch. Again, these events work pretty flawlessly – though once or twice my Sims missed their shot at the Waltz due to routing issues.
Plus, with the new Swordsmanship skill, you can also duel other Sims for fun, for secrets, for a title, or even for love – in my case, I just repeatedly duelled my nemesis, Eliza Pancakes, until she eventually aged up to being an Elder and passed from exhaustion. A sweet, totally justified, and proportionate victory.
A setting most elegant
I’ve already waxed lyrical about how much I love the storytelling features in Royalty and Legacy based on my preview experience, but the real joy has been playing the pack alongside my other favorite downloadable content.
Peña shares this enthusiasm: “It does pair well with lots of existing content. For example, Dynasty Values and Ideals pick up interactions and skills from previous packs, such as Mysterious, which rewards prestige to occults, or Nature Loving, for Sims who spend most of their time with pets, horses or farm animals.”
“Scandals also create great cross‑pack drama,” she continues: “Think about vampires drinking plasma without permission… that can get them straight into a scandal! How they deal with it is another story: they can apologise publicly, deny everything, or even profit from it by uploading a Scandal Video to the Videostation from Get Famous.”
I’d concur on both; both Dynasties and Scandals have livened up my regular legacy family save immensely. One I’ve not experimented with so much as of yet is Favor, but Peña notes that’s also a great way to explore content from other packs: “Commoners or Royals will leave gifts for your noble Sims at their entrance or during “Hold Court” events, and these can come from any pack players own: flower arrangements from Seasons, jewelry from Crystal Creations, farm goods from Cottage Living, nectar from Horse Ranch, or even the infamous poor‑quality pufferfish nigiri from City Living. I’d be careful eating that one, if you know what I mean…”
Duly noted, though I do like the idea of creating a “Who killed the King?” whodunnit using this mechanic now…
There’s plenty to explore in The Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy, and I’m particularly enjoying this pack’s launch event. There are just a few weeks left to join the fun and unlock some limited time awards, because it ends on March 16.
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