The Sims 5 hype can be summed up with two words: throw pillows

The Sims 5 (codenamed Project Rene) is officially in production, and I can't stop thinking about throw pillows. It seems like such a silly thing, the placement of pillows on a chaise or sectional, but for Simmers, it's as important as framerates in an FPS. 

While the Behind the Sims Summit only gave us the briefest of sneak peeks into a game that is still in the early stages of development, it's clear that build options are aligned with what the community has been asking for for years. The Sims 5 looks like it will finally give Simmer builders the tools they need to make truly exceptional builds without mods or CC. 

What we may get

The Behind the Sims Summit gave us a brief look at Project Rene, EA and Maxis' internal name for what we're all calling The Sims 5. VP of franchise creative at The Sims, Lyndsay Pearson, introduced the Project Rene footage as "a very early behind-the-scenes look" of the team "experimenting with what's worked and where we can push further to offer more flexibility than ever before." 

One of those experiments is the ability to change not only the color and pattern of objects, but their entire shape, too. The video shows the proposed build mode allowing players to manually select the size, headboard shape, and footboard shape of a bed, cycling through each piece of the bed under a "select parts" section. Yes, that means that there can be myriad versions of the same base bed, since players will be able to customize so many different aspects of the object. 

The video also shows off the pattern/color selection tools, which will feel very familiar for The Sims 3 players. Yes, a full-color wheel is available, as well as a litany of patterns and materials that you can choose separately for each part of the object. For example, the back cushions of a couch can be one pattern and color, while the bottom cushions could be entirely different. Plus, you can use the same features shown off with the bed customization and change what kind of cushions are on the couch – perhaps you want one big long cushion for your Sim's booties, or prefer a couch with three separate cushions to support their lumbar spines. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned throw pillows yet.

After cycling through some of the pattern, color, and cushion options for the couch, the video shows off a proposed placement method for throw pillows. Not only are throw pillows not a thing in The Sims 4, but the manner of placing them has me incandescent with excitement. In the video, the pillows can be tilted at various degrees, catty-cornered, or placed straight on. The clip is just a few seconds long, but the potential it holds means so much for those of us who love to build in The Sims 4 but have felt handcuffed by the current setup.

Why it's important

In The Sims 4, every object has a footprint measured by square floor tiles. Some objects, like refrigerators and dishwashers, require enough space in front of them to be functional, and all of the objects (unless they're meant to be layered like a vase on a countertop) occupy their own square of space. These parameters make building rather restrictive – you can't place multiple pieces of ivy over the same spot on the exterior of your house, or place a few objects in one spot on a counter to try and mimic the clutter of a lived-in space. 

That's where The Sims 4 cheats come into play. Turning on the MoveObjects cheat and using the secret resize feature will let you layer objects as much as your heart desires and make the most of your builds. Utilizing both features is the only way I could have built a Sims 4 vampire mansion crawling with blood-red ivy and creeping brambles, and it's how I make the most of my limited square footage in my apartment builds. Placing objects that aren't forced into the existing Sims 4 grid opens up a world of opportunities for interior design – but it can be perilous when it comes to gameplay. Objects placed in build mode will often clip through things during live play, and Sims often can't use these objects properly. This issue is why I rarely play with my more elaborate builds, and often just leave them empty like bizarre model houses.

But from what we saw of Project Rene, The Sims 5 could have much more nuance when it comes to moving objects. It doesn't seem like there's a strict grid forcing you to place the throw pillow in a specific spot, which would give builders ample opportunity to get creative with their builds. If a throw pillow can be turned and tilted this way and that, imagine how much more you could do with floor layouts. 

While many Simmers seem a bit underwhelmed at the Project Rene reveal (comparisons to Paralives were prevalent and concerns about mobile compatibility were voiced), I am over the moon at the notion of a Sims game where I can tilt throw pillows without breaking the game. It's the little things that make a house a home. 

The Sims 5 fans have spotted a few notable similarities to upcoming life sim Paralives.