Overview of the building mode and character editor in inZOI

inZOI has not yet been released, but it has already managed to delight players, as a new demo version of the project was released on March 20. Previously, the developers had already released a demo where users could try creating their own virtual character. I also engaged in creating one and wrote a separate article about it.

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This time, the building mode is available. Let's take a look at what has changed in character creation and what the building mode has to offer to players.

Character Editor

Interface

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The first thing I noticed is that the interface has changed slightly. I was also not prompted to choose an aspiration for my character, although previously I had selected "Dreamer." Nevertheless, I wasn’t upset by this, and the new icons seemed very convenient to me.

Filters

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I’d like to point out that more filters have been added to take beautiful pictures with your Zoi. Well, and some might find it more interesting to create their future hero this way. As you can see in the screenshot, there are 9 filters available, and for clarity, I chose the last one.

Emotions and Poses

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In addition to everything else, some emotions and poses have become available. They can be applied in the Photo section. This is a great section for taking beautiful screenshots of your Zoi. Especially for those who enjoy creating various celebrities.

Zoi Presets

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Let’s move on to our first section. Here, you can immediately pick a ready-made character. I saved my girl, but I’ll say this right away: if you like the look you’ve created, save it. I mean both the everyday outfit, formal wear, pajamas, and so on. I didn’t do this, everything got reset, and it upsets me immensely.

Face

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Now we move on to the Face section, where everyone can finely adjust the character’s face or choose a preset. There are also two options here: detailed and basic face editing. Nothing has changed here.

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Next is the hairstyle subsection. There are various options: short, long, medium, but the selection is still limited. You can dye the hair any color you want by clicking on Color.

Note that a new subsection called Face Characteristics has been added.

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Here, you can fine-tune details, such as eye bags. Scars and tattoos are also located here. I couldn’t resist and gave my heroine a neck tattoo.

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Freckles and moles are also located in this subsection.

Let’s move on to the eyes. There are many eye options available here, which makes me very happy. You can also adjust them: change the color, make the pupil larger or smaller.

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However, the selection of eyebrows doesn’t impress me at all. It feels like most of the options are intended for men.

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In the makeup subsection, it seems to me that there are more options now (though I might be wrong), which also pleased me. You can adjust sculpting, create something unusual.

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I love smoky eyes, and this option also suits my heroine’s style perfectly. It turned out well, and I really like it.

Body

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There are also some small changes here, namely presets. You don’t have to overthink it and can choose a body that you like more. Alternatively, each player can adjust the settings. Nothing has changed in this regard.

Outfit

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Now let’s move on to the most important part—clothing. There are more options now, and there are categories that are not yet translated and remain in Korean. But that’s not a big deal because the icons hint at what type of outfit the player is currently selecting. I’ll repeat, I created everything from scratch but didn’t save anything except the everyday outfit. You can save everything, as seen in the picture above.

Let’s not go into too much detail but focus on the new additions. As I said, there are more clothing options now. The function to create your own print, which will be saved, remains. I actively used this during creation. I even downloaded a leather jacket texture separately.

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But now there’s AI that can create its own texture! I think this is really cool. I’m a fan of abstract patterns, so I created something similar, as seen in the screenshot below.

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The jacket has changed, and here’s the AI texture (actually, I did this for a cocktail dress, and it looks great).

But there are some nuances. The neural network isn’t entirely accurate, so if you want something specific, you need to describe your idea in great detail, and even then, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get exactly what you envisioned. Nevertheless, I’m happy with this addition.

There are 9 categories in total, and there’s even an outfit for characters to wear to school.

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I hope that in the future, the developers will make it possible to create multiple options for one category, like in The Sims 4. By the way, speaking of which: I’m so glad that the makeup doesn’t reset, and you don’t have to redo the makeup for every outfit! In The Sims 4, this annoyed me terribly.

A Custom section has appeared. This is where your presets will be, meaning the clothing models you’ve created yourself.

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I’ll explain a bit later how to create your own clothing model.

Accessories

Now we move on to the Accessories section, where we’re greeted with a decent selection of various items that will definitely transform your character. Hats, caps, glasses, hairpins, piercings, and so on.

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Here, you can also create your own jewelry, and your ready-made options will be in the Custom section.

Craft

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Now we’ve reached the crafting section, where you can create both clothing designs and accessories.

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Click on the icon that interests you the most. Let’s take a look at the pendants as an example.

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This is what it looks like. Save it, and next time you’ll find your work in the Custom subsection. Just don’t forget to save.

We’ve covered all the main points and changes in the character editor. Now let’s move on to another important aspect—building mode.

Building Mode

Honestly, when I realized the full scale of the building mode, my heart almost stopped. When I played The Sims 4, I had to sit in Blender to create various paintings, posters, bedding, and so on by applying textures. In inZOI, you won’t need to sit in Blender because all of this is available thanks to the AI I mentioned earlier.

So, there are several buildings to choose from, each with different purposes. You can take a preset or start from scratch. Personally, I chose a preset because I only like to build when I’m in the mood and have free time.

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The interface seemed convenient on one hand but very... on the other. Perhaps it’s just a matter of habit because after spending an hour choosing a texture for bedding, I got used to the interface. I even managed to furnish a small part of the bathroom.

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Look at the lighting. This is why I adore Unreal Engine 5! Amazing lighting that adds coziness and a certain liveliness to the overall picture. By the way, on the right and left, you can see a slider that allows you to change the time of day. Not just day and night. There’s also fine-tuning here.

There’s a decent amount of furniture to choose from, and you can change its color by clicking on the brush icon, which pleases me. You can also apply textures there.

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Yes, I applied some unfortunate textures to the toilet, but I just wanted to show how it works.

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Textures can be applied to almost everything (except for some small decorative items). In the image below, I decided to show the wallpaper for the future kitchen. These are my textures. However, there are some downsides, such as flickering in the form of small dots. Unfortunately, this is a feature of the engine.

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See this shower gel? I made it using a 3D printer available in the game.

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There are many issues with this. The models come out large, but you can resize them. However, the shower gel remains large. Also, such items are problematic to place on surfaces.

This printer is located in the Craft section.

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There, you can also create your own modular furniture and save it. I really liked this feature.

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In building mode, the neural network is also available, which can help with textures.

But my opinion is this: it will be useful for people who love building and details. At the start, many might create a number of structures and use them, but they’ll create something new less often because it really takes a lot of time.

Also, some might not like the glow when placing an item. But again, this is a feature of the engine, and you can quickly get used to it.

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There are no pools yet, but they will be added in future updates, as you can read about in another article of mine.

When building, you can choose walls of different heights, which is a big plus for me.

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There are ready-made models of platforms and rooms available, which many can use to save time.

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By the way, if we’re talking about walls and such, let’s touch on windows. I usually sell most of the windows in houses in The Sims to have more money at the start (I don’t use cheats). But here, you can’t delete some windows, as if they’re glued to the wall.

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This is a flaw that I think the developers will fix because I can’t even grab this window to move it. The game considers it as part of the wall. If I delete the window, the entire wall will be deleted.

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I demonstrated this in the image above.

Also, I couldn’t figure out where the magic button is that allows you to paint the entire room, not just one wall.

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It’s indicated in the picture, but where is the button itself? It was very inconvenient for me to click on each wall to apply the texture.

I haven’t furnished the entire house yet, which is intended for two guy friends, because there are so many possibilities, and I love picking out details and textures. So, it took me two hours just to do one bathroom and a small part of the kitchen.

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Nevertheless, this was enough for me to form a personal impression. I like the building mode. The interface is still complex, and I don’t like that items are rotated using keys instead of the mouse, but it’s a matter of habit. Overall, it’s a great tool for creating masterpieces. You can create an exact replica of Monica’s apartment from the series Friends, which I plan to do in the future.

The game will be released on March 28 and will be in early access for some time, and for early access, this is a fantastic project. It hasn’t been in development for very long, yet it already offers masterpieces. The character editor and building mode are what many players come to The Sims for. Not everyone loves the main gameplay; some enjoy building and simply creating beautiful people. They will definitely like this.

I’m personally satisfied. Some criticize the game for being inferior to its main competitor, but I’d like to remind you that this is early access, that the project hasn’t been in development for over 20 years, and that it already surpasses The Sims in some aspects. And I’d also like to remind you what The Sims 4 was like at launch. It was unplayable, while here there’s already much more content.

Nevertheless, I’m eagerly awaiting the release! How about you?

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