Roofs, Recolors, and Rival Life Sims: The Plumbob Report Goes Wide

Becca Hartwell: And welcome back to the Plumbob Report. Danny Reyes: Danny here, and Becca's basically vibrating already. Becca Hartwell: Have you seen this week's patch notes? Danny Reyes: Oh, I've seen them. The Grim Reaper's getting benched a little. Becca Hartwell: Right? We'll get into what changed, plus a new headache builders are already routing around. Danny Reyes: Motherlode energy right there. We've also got mods to talk about, including one that's splitting the community. Becca Hartwell: That paywall debate, yeah. Plus some toddler CC I can't stop staring at. Danny Reyes: Oh, and EA rolled out this whole Stack and Save thing, too. Becca Hartwell: Convenient timing, right? After Build Your Bundle disappeared? Danny Reyes: Speaking of competition, Paralives just dropped fresh patch notes. Becca Hartwell: You're gonna push back on the hype a little, I already know it. Danny Reyes: Somebody's gotta ask the hard questions. Becca Hartwell: Fair enough. We're also checking out a new cozy farming sim with a spooky twist. Danny Reyes: Wait, really? Vampires and pumpkins? Becca Hartwell: Pretty much. And we'll touch on inZOI's delay too. Danny Reyes: Okay, I'm hyped. Where do we even start? Becca Hartwell: Let's start with those phone notifications finally shutting up. Danny Reyes: Thank God. Kick us off, Becca. Becca Hartwell: We want to hear from you! Submit questions via the web form in the description or give us a call at 747-677-1037 and leave your question. Don't be shy, our AI assistant makes it super easy! Okay, so I muted my Sim's phone last night and I nearly cried tears of joy. Danny Reyes: The notification spam? Finally? Becca Hartwell: Finally, Jess Bosque covered this for Softonic. The update dropped June 30th and now you can mute calls, alerts, festival reminders, basically everything. Danny Reyes: I was getting buzzed every four seconds about some rando's birthday party. Becca Hartwell: Right? And Justin Wagner over at PC Gamer pointed out the Grim Reapers. They toned down his recruiting too. He's not sliding into your sims' DMs every five minutes anymore. Danny Reyes: Wait, the Reaper got a cool-down added? Becca Hartwell: Basically, yeah. Less, hey, wanna die, spam. Danny Reyes: That's giving Sims 2 in the best way, honestly. Remember when death actually felt rare? Becca Hartwell: Don't get me started on that tangent. I will not stop talking. Danny Reyes: Save it. But Boris Piletskiy at IXBT Games said this... That this patch also killed the endless loading screen bug. Becca Hartwell: The one where you'd stare at a Plumbob spinner for actual minutes? Danny Reyes: That one. People have been begging for that fix forever. Becca Hartwell: And Games.gg covered it too, so this wasn't some quiet little patch note. It was everywhere! Danny Reyes: When four outlets write about your notification settings, you know EA touched a nerve. Becca Hartwell: A nerve that's been raw for years. Danny Reyes: Okay, but, and I hate that there's a but. Becca Hartwell: Here we go. Danny Reyes: Sims Community reported the same patch broke Roofs, like actually broke them. Becca Hartwell: Wait, broke how? Danny Reyes: They're investigating, according to the Sims Direct Teams statement, but Builders are posting screenshots of roofs just glitching, floating, disappearing. Becca Hartwell: The Autonomy really said choose violence, except now it's the architecture doing it. Danny Reyes: Right? You fix the doorbell and take out the whole roof. Becca Hartwell: One step forward, one gable at a time. Danny Reyes: I mean, come on, it's very The Sims energy, though. Nothing's ever just fixed. Becca Hartwell: Totally. But that's the whole community vibe, isn't it? Something breaks, and within a day, somebody's got a workaround. Danny Reyes: Builders are already swapping tips on which roof styles are safe to use right now. Becca Hartwell: No official fix, no patch, just people figuring it out on their own. Danny Reyes: Which honestly says more about this fan base than any... Any patch note could. Becca Hartwell: The community just keeps building, broken roof or not. Danny Reyes: Absolutely. So if EA's roofs are falling apart, what's everybody actually building with instead? Becca Hartwell: Speaking of builders solving problems, can we talk about this build tour I found? Speaker 3: Which one? Becca Hartwell: 516 Rosewood Avenue. You two posted the walkthrough Sunday and the kitchen nook alone is giving Sims 2 in the best way. Speaker 3: There it is. Becca Hartwell: I'm not even sorry. It's earned. That built-in bench seating, the little reading corner. Danny Reyes: Okay, but real builders making real things is the fun kind of content, not the kind I want to yell about. about Becca Hartwell: Uh-oh, what now? Danny Reyes: Jellypaws. Becca Hartwell: Oh, here we go. Danny Reyes: So Jellypaws dropped this Universal Recolor mod and Simscommunity covered it Wednesday. Big promises. Recolor basically anything in the game. Becca Hartwell: That sounds incredible, though. Danny Reyes: It would be, except it's locked behind a Permanent paywall. Not a one-time tip. Permanent. Becca Hartwell: Wait, permanent as in Forever, even after it's finished? Danny Reyes: Forever. And Sims Community pointed out modders have already built free color wheel tools for CAS and build and buy. Becca Hartwell: So the free version kind of already exists? Danny Reyes: Basically, that's the whole argument brewing right now. Charging forever for something the community's proven it'll build for free. Becca Hartwell: I mean... People gotta eat. Danny Reyes: Sure, but a permanent lock on tools that already exist elsewhere? That's not sitting right with me. Becca Hartwell: Fair. Let's go somewhere happier. Maker packs. Danny Reyes: Oh, the marketplace drop? Becca Hartwell: Sims Community said Thursday two new teaser packs went up free, one paid. Danny Reyes: EA testing the waters again. Becca Hartwell: Two free packs isn't nothing, Danny. Danny Reyes: True, still watching whether free stays free or funnels people toward the... For the paid one. Becca Hartwell: Okay, speaking of stuff I actually love, loveAMARAs toddler custom content. Danny Reyes: The kids' stuff collection? Becca Hartwell: OwlWolf covered it today. Full Maxis Match toddler line and the little sweater sets are chef's kiss. Danny Reyes: Oh, you and toddler custom content, I swear. Becca Hartwell: Toddlers get ignored constantly in this game. Someones got to show up for them. Danny Reyes: Oh, before I forget, forgetStack and Save. Becca Hartwell: Wait, the EA App thing? Danny Reyes: SimsCommunity announced that Thursday. Stay two replaces Build Your Bundle, stacks your discounts right in the App. Becca Hartwell: Actual convenience from EA? A miracle! Danny Reyes: I did a double take reading it. Becca Hartwell: As with all this creative energy floating around the community, it makes you wonder what's happening outside EA's walls. Danny Reyes: Right, because it's not just modders patching gaps anymore. Becca Hartwell: Exactly. There's a whole other life sim building from the ground up. and up. Danny Reyes: And it's comin' for the crown. Becca Hartwell: Um! Okay, shifting gears completely, because I want to talk about the elephant in the room. Paralives. Danny Reyes: Oh, here we go. You've been saving this one. Becca Hartwell: I have! So Paralives just dropped their July patch notes and Sims Community covered it Thursday and this isn't small stuff anymore. This feels like they're actually building something real. Danny Reyes: Building something real or just making more promises? That game's been coming soon for years. Becca Hartwell: Fair, but DualShockers put out this list. Ten features they say completely change change what we should expect from a life Danny Reyes: Hmm. Becca Hartwell: sim. Danny Reyes: Becca Hartwell: Shayna Josi wrote it, and some of these are things Sims players have wanted since like Sims 2. Danny Reyes: Give me one. Becca Hartwell: The customization depth: sliders on basically everything; furniture, walls, even how a Sim's personality shows up physically. Sims 4 CAS is good, but this sounds like it goes further out the gate. Danny Reyes: Okay, that's actually interesting, not going to lie. Becca Hartwell: Right? And there's a second DualShockers piece, same author, all about relationships feeling more natural than The Sims. Danny Reyes: Okay, this is the one I want to poke at. Autonomy in Sims four is a mess; Sims will stand next to the fridge having a meltdown instead of talking to their spouse. Becca Hartwell: The autonomy really-okay, I wasn't going to say it, but-yes. Danny Reyes: So if Paralives is promising relationships that feel less like two NPCs bumping into each other, I want to see it in motion, not just read about it. Becca Hartwell: That's fair skepticism, and I share some of it. But here's what got me. The Guardian covered Paralives this week too! Danny Reyes: Wait, The Guardian? The actual mainstream Guardian? Becca Hartwell: Yes, not a gaming outlet. They're piece framed Paralives as something that could rival The Sims and pointed to players leaving EA series over what they called ethical concerns with the business model. Danny Reyes: Wow, that's a real signal. When mainstream press starts framing an indie life sim as the alternative. Alternative-that's not nothing. Becca Hartwell: It means the conversations moved past just us nerds arguing in comment sections. Danny Reyes: I'll believe it when I can build a house without the game crashing, though. Vaporware energy is still on the table. Becca Hartwell: Sure, but patch notes with actual system changes are different from a trailer with a countdown timer. Danny Reyes: Okay, cautious optimism, emphasis on cautious. Becca Hartwell: I'll take it. It's nice having options instead of just complaining into the void about Speaker 4: - Becca Hartwell: Wait about EA. We do love complaining into the void. We really do. But speaking of new options, there's a whole cozy corner of this genre popping off right now that has nothing to do with either of these two. Ooh, do tell. Moonlight Peaks. Everyones talking about it, and it's not trying to be Sims or Paralives. Now I need details. Whats the pitch? Okay, shifting gears completely, have you started Moonlight Peaks yet? Danny Reyes: Dude, Ive been up till 2 AM feeding a vampire cow. Its a whole situation. Becca Hartwell: Right? Ben Lyons at Gamereactor UK called it a farm sim with a supernatural twist, and honestly, that undersells it. Danny Reyes: Amanda K. Oaks over at ComicBook.com went further, saying it makes the whole farming genre feel fresh again. Becca Hartwell: And Ellie Lutes at Nintendo Everything covered the Switch. Which and Switch 2 release said it runs smooth on both. Danny Reyes: Portable vampire farming. That's a dream nobody knew they had. Becca Hartwell: Okay, but the romance system, though. Danny Reyes: Oh my god, yes. Lauren Morton wrote this whole PC Gamer guide on how to actually date people in this game. Becca Hartwell: Is it courting the townsfolk or a full vampire seduction arc? Danny Reyes: Kind of both. You're wooing eligible locals while also, you know, being undead about it. Becca Hartwell: That's such a weird sentence, and I love it! Danny Reyes: It only just came out, too, July 7th, per that DLCompare rundown. Becca Hartwell: So it's genuinely new-perfect pick-up for this week. Danny Reyes: Speaking of timing, can we talk about inZOI for a second? Becca Hartwell: Ugh, yeah, not the update I wanted. Danny Reyes: Push Square reported the PS5 version just got pushed to 2027. Becca Hartwell: The devs straight up said they need more time. Danny Reyes: Which, fine, I respect that. I'd rather wait than load into a... Into a broken mess. Becca Hartwell: Especially after everything we covered today with that patch breaking Roofs. Danny Reyes: Exactly. Nobody wants inZOI's version of that on launch day. Becca Hartwell: So if you're picking something up this week? Danny Reyes: Moonlight Peaks. Easy pick. It's out. It's on Switch. It's delightfully weird. Becca Hartwell: Agreed. Keep half an eye on Paralives for the long game. Danny Reyes: And inZOI is just the wild card we're stuck waiting on now. Becca Hartwell: Kind of a great time to be into this whole genre. Danny Reyes: The competition's actually making things interesting for once. Becca Hartwell: Go feed your vampire cow, I guess. Danny Reyes: Already planning my evening around it. Becca Hartwell: Okay, so today we went from finally muting our Sims phones... Danny Reyes: To literally roofs caving in on the same patch. Wild ride. Becca Hartwell: Right? Jess Bosque covered that notification fix, and then Simscommunity dropped the roof bug news practically minutes later. Danny Reyes: Classic Sims. One hand fixes, the other breaks. But builders already found workarounds, so community wins again! Becca Hartwell: Also, shout out to that Rosewood build. The built-in reading nook... Gnook still lives in my head. Danny Reyes: Meanwhile that recolor mod paywall is still living rent free in mine. Becca Hartwell: Whether it's Rosewood Avenue or Moonlight Peaks, people are out here making magic. Danny Reyes: So soul Simmers: subscribe, leave us a review, it helps people find the show. Becca Hartwell: And tell us your wildest Sim stories @PlumbobReport on socials. We want the chaos! Danny Reyes: Thanks for hanging out with us today. Becca Hartwell: See you next time. Don't let the Grim Reaper win. Danny Reyes: Bye, Simmers.