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

Becca HartwellAnd welcome back to the Plumbob Report.

Danny ReyesDanny here, and Becca's basically vibrating already.

Becca HartwellHave you seen this week's patch notes?

Danny ReyesOh, I've seen them. The Grim Reaper's getting benched a little.

Becca HartwellRight? We'll get into what changed, plus a new headache builders are already routing around.

Danny ReyesMotherlode energy right there. We've also got mods to talk about, including one that's splitting the community.

Becca HartwellThat paywall debate, yeah. Plus some toddler CC I can't stop staring at.

Danny ReyesOh, and EA rolled out this whole Stack and Save thing, too.

Becca HartwellConvenient timing, right? After Build Your Bundle disappeared?

Danny ReyesSpeaking of competition, Paralives just dropped fresh patch notes.

Becca HartwellYou're gonna push back on the hype a little, I already know it.

Danny ReyesSomebody's gotta ask the hard questions.

Becca HartwellFair enough. We're also checking out a new cozy farming sim with a spooky twist.

Danny ReyesWait, really? Vampires and pumpkins?

Becca HartwellPretty much. And we'll touch on inZOI's delay too.

Danny ReyesOkay, I'm hyped. Where do we even start?

Becca HartwellLet's start with those phone notifications finally shutting up.

Danny ReyesThank God. Kick us off, Becca.

Becca HartwellWe 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 ReyesThe notification spam? Finally?

Becca HartwellFinally, Jess Bosque covered this for Softonic. The update dropped June 30th and now you can mute calls, alerts, festival reminders, basically everything.

Danny ReyesI was getting buzzed every four seconds about some rando's birthday party.

Becca HartwellRight? 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 ReyesWait, the Reaper got a cool-down added?

Becca HartwellBasically, yeah. Less, hey, wanna die, spam.

Danny ReyesThat's giving Sims 2 in the best way, honestly. Remember when death actually felt rare?

Becca HartwellDon't get me started on that tangent. I will not stop talking.

Danny ReyesSave it. But Boris Piletskiy at IXBT Games said this... That this patch also killed the endless loading screen bug.

Becca HartwellThe one where you'd stare at a Plumbob spinner for actual minutes?

Danny ReyesThat one. People have been begging for that fix forever.

Becca HartwellAnd Games.gg covered it too, so this wasn't some quiet little patch note. It was everywhere!

Danny ReyesWhen four outlets write about your notification settings, you know EA touched a nerve.

Becca HartwellA nerve that's been raw for years.

Danny ReyesOkay, but, and I hate that there's a but.

Becca HartwellHere we go.

Danny ReyesSims Community reported the same patch broke Roofs, like actually broke them.

Becca HartwellWait, broke how?

Danny ReyesThey're investigating, according to the Sims Direct Teams statement, but Builders are posting screenshots of roofs just glitching, floating, disappearing.

Becca HartwellThe Autonomy really said choose violence, except now it's the architecture doing it.

Danny ReyesRight? You fix the doorbell and take out the whole roof.

Becca HartwellOne step forward, one gable at a time.

Danny ReyesI mean, come on, it's very The Sims energy, though. Nothing's ever just fixed.

Becca HartwellTotally. But that's the whole community vibe, isn't it? Something breaks, and within a day, somebody's got a workaround.

Danny ReyesBuilders are already swapping tips on which roof styles are safe to use right now.

Becca HartwellNo official fix, no patch, just people figuring it out on their own.

Danny ReyesWhich honestly says more about this fan base than any... Any patch note could.

Becca HartwellThe community just keeps building, broken roof or not.

Danny ReyesAbsolutely. So if EA's roofs are falling apart, what's everybody actually building with instead?

Becca HartwellSpeaking of builders solving problems, can we talk about this build tour I found?

Speaker 3Which one?

Becca Hartwell516 Rosewood Avenue. You two posted the walkthrough Sunday and the kitchen nook alone is giving Sims 2 in the best way.

Speaker 3There it is.

Becca HartwellI'm not even sorry. It's earned. That built-in bench seating, the little reading corner.

Danny ReyesOkay, but real builders making real things is the fun kind of content, not the kind I want to yell about. about

Becca HartwellUh-oh, what now?

Danny ReyesJellypaws.

Becca HartwellOh, here we go.

Danny ReyesSo Jellypaws dropped this Universal Recolor mod and Simscommunity covered it Wednesday. Big promises. Recolor basically anything in the game.

Becca HartwellThat sounds incredible, though.

Danny ReyesIt would be, except it's locked behind a Permanent paywall. Not a one-time tip. Permanent.

Becca HartwellWait, permanent as in Forever, even after it's finished?

Danny ReyesForever. And Sims Community pointed out modders have already built free color wheel tools for CAS and build and buy.

Becca HartwellSo the free version kind of already exists?

Danny ReyesBasically, that's the whole argument brewing right now. Charging forever for something the community's proven it'll build for free.

Becca HartwellI mean... People gotta eat.

Danny ReyesSure, but a permanent lock on tools that already exist elsewhere? That's not sitting right with me.

Becca HartwellFair. Let's go somewhere happier. Maker packs.

Danny ReyesOh, the marketplace drop?

Becca HartwellSims Community said Thursday two new teaser packs went up free, one paid.

Danny ReyesEA testing the waters again.

Becca HartwellTwo free packs isn't nothing, Danny.

Danny ReyesTrue, still watching whether free stays free or funnels people toward the... For the paid one.

Becca HartwellOkay, speaking of stuff I actually love, loveAMARAs toddler custom content.

Danny ReyesThe kids' stuff collection?

Becca HartwellOwlWolf covered it today. Full Maxis Match toddler line and the little sweater sets are chef's kiss.

Danny ReyesOh, you and toddler custom content, I swear.

Becca HartwellToddlers get ignored constantly in this game. Someones got to show up for them.

Danny ReyesOh, before I forget, forgetStack and Save.

Becca HartwellWait, the EA App thing?

Danny ReyesSimsCommunity announced that Thursday. Stay two replaces Build Your Bundle, stacks your discounts right in the App.

Becca HartwellActual convenience from EA? A miracle!

Danny ReyesI did a double take reading it.

Becca HartwellAs with all this creative energy floating around the community, it makes you wonder what's happening outside EA's walls.

Danny ReyesRight, because it's not just modders patching gaps anymore.

Becca HartwellExactly. There's a whole other life sim building from the ground up. and up.

Danny ReyesAnd it's comin' for the crown.

Becca HartwellUm! Okay, shifting gears completely, because I want to talk about the elephant in the room. Paralives.

Danny ReyesOh, here we go. You've been saving this one.

Becca HartwellI 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 ReyesBuilding something real or just making more promises? That game's been coming soon for years.

Becca HartwellFair, but DualShockers put out this list. Ten features they say completely change change what we should expect from a life

Danny ReyesHmm.

Becca Hartwellsim.

Danny Reyes:

Becca HartwellShayna Josi wrote it, and some of these are things Sims players have wanted since like Sims 2.

Danny ReyesGive me one.

Becca HartwellThe 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 ReyesOkay, that's actually interesting, not going to lie.

Becca HartwellRight? And there's a second DualShockers piece, same author, all about relationships feeling more natural than The Sims.

Danny ReyesOkay, 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 HartwellThe autonomy really-okay, I wasn't going to say it, but-yes.

Danny ReyesSo 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 HartwellThat's fair skepticism, and I share some of it. But here's what got me. The Guardian covered Paralives this week too!

Danny ReyesWait, The Guardian? The actual mainstream Guardian?

Becca HartwellYes, 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 ReyesWow, that's a real signal. When mainstream press starts framing an indie life sim as the alternative. Alternative-that's not nothing.

Becca HartwellIt means the conversations moved past just us nerds arguing in comment sections.

Danny ReyesI'll believe it when I can build a house without the game crashing, though. Vaporware energy is still on the table.

Becca HartwellSure, but patch notes with actual system changes are different from a trailer with a countdown timer.

Danny ReyesOkay, cautious optimism, emphasis on cautious.

Becca HartwellI'll take it. It's nice having options instead of just complaining into the void about

Speaker 4-

Becca HartwellWait 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 ReyesDude, Ive been up till 2 AM feeding a vampire cow. Its a whole situation.

Becca HartwellRight? Ben Lyons at Gamereactor UK called it a farm sim with a supernatural twist, and honestly, that undersells it.

Danny ReyesAmanda K. Oaks over at ComicBook.com went further, saying it makes the whole farming genre feel fresh again.

Becca HartwellAnd Ellie Lutes at Nintendo Everything covered the Switch. Which and Switch 2 release said it runs smooth on both.

Danny ReyesPortable vampire farming. That's a dream nobody knew they had.

Becca HartwellOkay, but the romance system, though.

Danny ReyesOh my god, yes. Lauren Morton wrote this whole PC Gamer guide on how to actually date people in this game.

Becca HartwellIs it courting the townsfolk or a full vampire seduction arc?

Danny ReyesKind of both. You're wooing eligible locals while also, you know, being undead about it.

Becca HartwellThat's such a weird sentence, and I love it!

Danny ReyesIt only just came out, too, July 7th, per that DLCompare rundown.

Becca HartwellSo it's genuinely new-perfect pick-up for this week.

Danny ReyesSpeaking of timing, can we talk about inZOI for a second?

Becca HartwellUgh, yeah, not the update I wanted.

Danny ReyesPush Square reported the PS5 version just got pushed to 2027.

Becca HartwellThe devs straight up said they need more time.

Danny ReyesWhich, fine, I respect that. I'd rather wait than load into a... Into a broken mess.

Becca HartwellEspecially after everything we covered today with that patch breaking Roofs.

Danny ReyesExactly. Nobody wants inZOI's version of that on launch day.

Becca HartwellSo if you're picking something up this week?

Danny ReyesMoonlight Peaks. Easy pick. It's out. It's on Switch. It's delightfully weird.

Becca HartwellAgreed. Keep half an eye on Paralives for the long game.

Danny ReyesAnd inZOI is just the wild card we're stuck waiting on now.

Becca HartwellKind of a great time to be into this whole genre.

Danny ReyesThe competition's actually making things interesting for once.

Becca HartwellGo feed your vampire cow, I guess.

Danny ReyesAlready planning my evening around it.

Becca HartwellOkay, so today we went from finally muting our Sims phones...

Danny ReyesTo literally roofs caving in on the same patch. Wild ride.

Becca HartwellRight? Jess Bosque covered that notification fix, and then Simscommunity dropped the roof bug news practically minutes later.

Danny ReyesClassic Sims. One hand fixes, the other breaks. But builders already found workarounds, so community wins again!

Becca HartwellAlso, shout out to that Rosewood build. The built-in reading nook... Gnook still lives in my head.

Danny ReyesMeanwhile that recolor mod paywall is still living rent free in mine.

Becca HartwellWhether it's Rosewood Avenue or Moonlight Peaks, people are out here making magic.

Danny ReyesSo soul Simmers: subscribe, leave us a review, it helps people find the show.

Becca HartwellAnd tell us your wildest Sim stories @PlumbobReport on socials. We want the chaos!

Danny ReyesThanks for hanging out with us today.

Becca HartwellSee you next time. Don't let the Grim Reaper win.

Danny ReyesBye, Simmers.