Disclaimer: I’m not trashing or disparaging any of the developers for their hard work. I know game dev isn’t as easy as it seems, and things won’t always be perfect, we won’t always get want we want, and I’m grateful that the Pixeltail team has been so transparent and open to the community about their work.
I will be scoring every new condo item added in this update by 4 criteria:
(Click each for details)
Necessity
How much a condo builder might need an item like this to complete their project. An item that would only be used in very specific circumstances would score lower than an item that would be used for more general circumstances.
Fidelity
The visual quality of the item’s model(s).
Generally, a higher fidelity item will have:
- No harsh polygonal edges. (Proportional to the default size of the model.)
- High resolution textures. (Proportional to the default size of the model.)
- Realistic/believable shading and materials (e.g, a pillow should not look like it’s made of metal, a toaster should not look like it’s made of wood. Rounded edges should be rounded.)
- No bugs or glitches (Z-Fighting, lighting inconsistencies, customization not saving, scaling offset issues, etc.)
Customizability
How customizable the item is. An item with high customizablity might have:
- Coloring options. Ideally, every part of the item should be colorable, including particles and emitted lights, and the color of the item should not be tinted with the original color of the item. (i.e an item that is green by default should not have that green tint influence the player selected colors.)
- Object Variation. Item should have multiple variations available in the edit menu. If necessary. For Example, a Jar item might have an option to remove the lid, and options to fill the jar with either a solid substance or liquid. A new canvas primitive should have half, quarter, and eighth divisions if necessary.
- Canvasable: Any item which could have a generic, labelless version of itself should have one. This is mainly for food items. Jars, bottles, cans, sealed bags, should all have their own respective canvas item for personalization.
Interactivity
How interactable the item is through the game and through I/O. An item with good interactivity might have:
- Item should have believable and expected function within reason. Any Item with similar functions to previously existing items should have similar interactivity. (e.g, a lamp should be able to be turned on and off, and have all light functions. An item with a door or hatch should have all door functions.) Items that are purely decorative, and expected to be decorative will always score a 3 out of 5.
- Any interactivity provided by the item should have some way to be removed for decorative purposes. (A door should be lockable, a machine should have an option to not be useable.) Some objects, like the “Basic Shape Button” allow deactivation of interactivity through I/O.
- I/O functionality: Any interactable item should have inputs and outputs for each interaction. These should be consistent with other items of it’s kind. Chairs should have the same I/O functionality as every other chair.
Each category will have it’s own respective scoring out of 5, which will then be used to determine the overall score of the item.
Item Review: 0.18.6.0 “Shooting Gallery Update”
There were 28 purchasable condo items added in this update. We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get right into it.
Item 1: Rice Bag
Necessity: 5/5
As I always say, food items and kitchen clutter is always welcome. Rice is a pretty common food item to have in your kitchen, so I would say it’s pretty necessary.
Fidelity: 4/5
Although it bears similarity to the “Bagged Lunch” item, it appears to be a completely different mesh. The bag has a cloth-like bag texture, similar to burlap rice bag sacks, though I think the texture looks a little too strong and deep. The object has labels on both the front and back.
Customizability: 0/5
Literally nothing. Unfortunately, a common trend among food items.
Interactivity: 0/5
No interactivity. Fully Decorative.
Total score: 9/20
Grade: D
Very underwhelming. Make it colorable and it’ll be a C.
Item 2: Egg Carton
Necessity: 5/5
Egg Cartons are a near ubiquitous item in any non-vegan’s fridge. Not only that, they are an extremely complicated shape that is difficult to reproduce without workshop furniture.
Fidelity: 5/5
The carton looks just like the real thing. At least, the ones made of pulp. The eggs look as egg-y as you’d expect. The object also has a label, just like real ones.
Customizability: 3/5
No colorability options. There are 3 variation states of openness for the carton model. There is also an option for the eggs to be removed.
Interactivity: 1/5
Purely decorative. I’d expect an item like this to at least have I/O states to change the open variation. Also, why can’t we eat the raw eggs DeVito style?
Total score: 14/20
Grade: B
A solid, and very necessary item. I’m a little surprised that not even the eggs are colorable.
Item 3: Box of Pasta
Necessity: 5/5
Boxed food is a MUST-HAVE! That is all.
Fidelity: 5/5
Box is fully labeled, with a nice cutout on the front to see the pasta. Pasta is unsurprisingly not fully modeled, just a texture. As detailed as you’d expect.
Customizability: 1/5
No colorability. Can switch between 2 different pasta types, spaghetti and macaroni.
Interactivity: 3/5
Purely decorative. As expected, I say.
Total score: 14/20
Grade: B
Biased pasta lover gives UNFAIR grade to INNOCENT game devs.
Item 4: Soft Pretzel
Necessity: 5/5
Pretzels are a classic tasty treat found in many places, from convenience stores, malls, theaters, and Germanies. Very necessary I’d say.
Fidelity: 5/5
Looks like a pretzel, with a textured dough and spritzed with salt. Personally, I would have given the texture a subtle rough shine, so it looks fresh out of the hot place.
Customizability: 1/5
No colorability. Has an alternate model when eaten.
Interactivity: 5/5
Can be eaten. Has expected food I/O.
Total score: 16/20
Grade: A
Now we need lemonade to go with our pretzels Auntie Anne style.
Item 5: Bread Loaf
Necessity: 5/5
Bread loaves are a staple of most kitchens. I’m surprised it took this long, honestly.
Fidelity: 4/5
Looks like bread. The bread crust looks a little too rough to me, and the inside looks a little too plaster-y, in my opinion.
Customizability: 2/5
No colorability. Has 3 variations for cut bread.
Interactivity: 0/5
Cannot be eaten. I’d expect it to be consumable. Purely Decorative.
Total score: 11/20
Grade: C
Should be edible to be honest. Also, that description is diabolical. I wonder what made you think to add that.
Item 6 & 7: Can of Peas, Canvas Tin Can
Necessity: 5/5
Tin cans are extremely common in kitchens around the world. Having one with a custom label was also a prudent decision.
Fidelity: 5/5
The tin can model has a rough, slightly metallic look, with subtle grooves and clean ridges. Can of peas is fully labeled all around. The interior is fully textured on the open version.
Customizability: 3/5
No colorability on the peas version, and only the canvas can be colored on the canvas version. Label can be removed on peas version. Both have an open variant. (Peas must be eaten to reveal inside.)
Interactivity: 4/5
Can of peas can be eaten, as expected. Canvas can is decorative, as expected.
Total score: 17/20
Grade: A
Can’t go wrong with tin cans.
Item 8: Oversized Chess Piece
Necessity: 3/5
We don’t have a playable chess yet, but these props could still be used for decoration or for your own board games!
Fidelity: 4/5
Chess pieces look like the classic polished wood pieces, with a suitable texture and slight gloss. Each piece looks like the one that it represents on a typical chess board, with soft, beveled edges and grooves. Docking a point off for that low detail smooth horse for the knight.
Customizability: 5/5
Body is fully colorable as one color, as expected, shining a vibrant white when fully colored white. Has variants for every chess piece in a regular chess game.
Interactivity: 5/5
Can be picked up, and works like a typical physics item, with all the necessary I/O. I personally would have liked to see an I/O feature to promote the pawn pieces.
Total score: 17/20
Grade: A
A bit of a strange item, but great nonetheless. I just don’t like how the knight looks.
Item 9 & 10: Brass Floor Lamp, Brass Table Lamp
Necessity: 5/5
Condos were sorely missing classic lamps like these. 100% necessary.
Fidelity: 5/5
The lamps’ bodies have a gritty brass metal look to them, as expected. The light bulb, it’s socket, the switch, and the lampshade frames are all modeled inside. The lamp shades have a tight cloth material, as expected. Lightbulb has dirty grime on the top, only visible when turned off.
Customizability: 4/5
Everything except the metal frame and socket are colorable. The table lamps have 3 different variants for their body shape, the floor lamp has only 1 body shape. Both have an option for 2 different lampshades, and an option to remove the shade entirely. There are also pattern options for the lampshade similar to the curtains item. I would have liked to see a canvas setting for the lampshade as well.
Has all expected light customization.
Interactivity: 5/5
Has all expected I/O light functionalities.
Total score: 19/20
Grade: A+
Lamps my beloved.
Item 11: Ceramic Table Lamp
Necessity: 5/5
As said before, we needed more lamps for houses.
Fidelity: 5/5
The ceramic body has a subtle texture going around the body. Part of me feels like it looks more like wood than ceramic? The lightbulb and other pieces are reused from the brass lamps.
Customizability: 4/5
Similar coloring issues to the brass lamps. Has 4 different body shapes. Has same lampshade customizability as the brass lamps.
Interactivity: 5/5
Same as the brass lamps.
Total score: 19/20
Grade: A+
Yay! More lamps.
Item 12: Brass Wall Lamp
Necessity: 5/5
We don’t have many options for homely wall lamps. A must-have.
Fidelity: 5/5
Similar material to the brass lamps. Wall base has a nice bossed looked to it. Lightbulb, socket, and shade are the same as the previous lamps.
Customizability: 4/5
Similar issues to the previous lamps. Has an option for a single or double lamp.
Interactivity: 5/5
Same as the previous lamps.
Total score: 19/20
Grade: A+
Very nice. Not much to say.
Item 13: Poseable Desk Lamp
Necessity: 5/5
A wonderful addition to the small selection of desk light fixtures.
Fidelity: 4/5
Model has a grimy metal look to it, with what looks like fingerprint marks all over. Has screws in all the right places. The inside of the lamp head seems a little too dirty for my liking. Same with the dirty lightbulb reused from the previous lamps. This one seems to be missing a switch unlike the previous lamps.
Customizability: 4/5
Inside of lamp head, lightbulb socket, and screws are not colorable. Neck area has 4 different articulation poses to choose from, while the head has a slider for tilting and twisting. Has expected light customization.
Interactivity: 5/5
Has typical and expected light I/O features.
Total score: 18/20
Grade: A+
I really like this item, but a bit too dirty looking. I’d like to see an option to make it a bit cleaner, instead of it looking like it was left in a garage for a decade.
Item 14: Fancy Candelabra
Necessity: 3/5
We already had a candelabra in the game, but this one is a bit cleaner and fancier than the old one.
Fidelity: 5/5
It’s metal body could be a little more metallic, in my eyes. But other than that, the body is very well modeled. The candles are rotated in a way that they don’t look duplicated.
Customizability: 4/5
Fully Colorable. Disappointingly, no way to remove the candles, or change the amount of arms on the candelabra. Has expected light customizations.
Interactivity: 5/5
Has all expected I/O light functionalities.
Total score: 17/20
Grade: A
Although we already had a candelabra, this one can add quite a nice variety to formal, historical, and fantasy settings.
Item 15: Metal Shaded Wall Light
Necessity: 4/5
A great addition to the selection of industrial lights. Works great above doors and the like. I wouldn’t say it’s extremely necessary, though.
Fidelity: 5/5
Has a metallic look, with grime and minor scratches, with good looking rims and trims. The light bulb itself is a little simple, but is fine for an item like this. If anything, I’d expect this lightbulb to be dirtier than the other ones.
Customizability: 5/5
Fully Colorable, and has expected light customizations.
Interactivity: 5/5
Has all expected light functionalities.
Total score: 19/20
Grade: A+
I’ve actually made a lamp like this a few times. Nice to have an official one now.
Item 16: Hanging Kitchen Lamp
Necessity: 4/5
Another industrial style light. We already have a few, but these ones look really nice.
Fidelity: 4/5
Ceiling base and cord are reused from older ceiling lamp items. Head has a shiny, metallic finish. The cased variant looks a lot grimier than the uncovered version, and the glass bulb cover has a nice tiled pattern on it. The uncased version has what looks like a threaded copper piece, which I believe is the piece which the case is screwed on to. Nice touch.
Customizability: 4/5
Black base and cord cannot be colored. Has an option to remove the case around the head. Cord length can also be changed. Has expected light customization.
Interactivity: 5/5
Has expected light I/O functions.
Total score: 17/20
Grade: A
I actually really like the look of this item. Very nice.
Item 17: Industrial Fluorescent Ceiling Light
Necessity: 4/5
Although we already had a ceiling light item like this, this one looks a whole lot higher quality.
Fidelity: 5/5
The head piece has slight grime and wear on the edges, with a painted metal look. Uncased version has two metal frames which the cord hangs off of. Frame has an appropriate metal texture, with both bolts and screws. The cord itself clips slightly into the model, right below the loop. The underside of the uncased version has a plainer, rough metal finish. Inside are two fluorescent tubes attached into sockets which have more detail than expected. The tubes also have scratches in the glass, visible when the light is turned off.
The cased version has a shell on top of the head, with a similar painted metal finish as the uncased version, and detailed metal latches connecting it to the body. The bottom side is encased with an opaque glass shell which has a grooved, ridged look.
Customizability: 4/5
Painted metal and light are colorable. Underside metal, and the hinge/screw metal are not colorable. Changing light color changes the color of the cord, for some reason. Has expected light customizations otherwise. Also has a cord length slider, like the previous ceiling light.
Interactivity: 5/5
Has expected light I/O features.
Total score: 18/20
Grade: A+
A wonderfully detailed item, and a great replacement for the older ceiling lights.
Item 18: Industrial Spotlight
Necessity: 4/5
A very common item in industrial settings. Useful for city builds!
Fidelity: 5/5
Body has a worn and rough painted metal material. Has all the nice little doo-dads expected to be found on an industrial spot light. It even has markings on the base for precise rotation. Glass light cover has a detailed hexagonal texture, visible when turned off.
Customizability: 4/5
All metal pieces are uniformly colored, with the darker metal tinting the chosen color. Has an orientation slider to change the pitch direction of the light. No way to twist the lamp without rotating the whole object. Has expected light customization.
Interactivity: 3/5
Has expected light I/O. I would have liked to see an I/O input that moves the light to a certain orientation. Maybe one that’s instant, and one that smoothly animates to the new position?
Total score: 16/20
Grade: A
A good addition, but I would have liked more orientation options.
Item 19: Vintage Floodlight
Necessity: 3/5
A little more niche than the others, but still useful for industrial builds.
Fidelity: 5/5
I believe this prop is reused from the Catzek temple. Head has a grimy painted metal finish, with wear on the edges. Has detailed worn metal bolts, screws, and articulation mechanisms. The glass cover on the front has ridged detailing, with gloss and dirt. Legs are a shiny, worn metal with aged wood grain pieces bolted into the rods. There is also a metal crank with a wooden handle on the underside.
Customizability: 4/5
Only painted metal and light are colorable. The dark metal pieces and wood parts are not colorable. Has orientation settings for tilt and twist. Also has 3 different poses with different levels of leg splay. Has expected light customization.
Interactivity: 4/5
Similar to the Industrial Spotlight. I wish it had animation I/O. Has expected I/O light functions.
Total score: 16/20
Grade: A
I personally would not find much use with this, but it’s a very nicely modeled item.
Item 20: Service Bell
Necessity: 3/5
A very simple item, but good for stores and hotels.
Fidelity: 4/5
Looks very worn and scratched up. Not sure where you’d find one that looks this damaged. I’d like to see a cleaner version of this. Other than that, has an appropriate metallic look.
Customizability: 5/5
Fully colorable. As customizable as expected.
Interactivity: 3/5
It seems that this item is technically a plush. Personally, I think a proper animation would have looked better than the squash animation. Also, the cooldown is way too long! There’s no way to spam it! Other than that, it has all the I/O features of other plushies.
Total score: 15/20
Grade: B
I wish it was cleaner and the interaction felt less plush-like. Other than that, I like it.
Item 21: Metal Bucket
Necessity: 5/5
It only took about 9 years, but we finally have this very basic item! Obviously very useful.
Fidelity: 5/5
Has a slightly rough metallic texture, and is covered in scratches. Bucket handle is correctly attached to the bucket. Has a proper rim and some extra grooves along the bucket.
Customizability: 4/5
Has one color option which colors the whole model. The metal is pretty dark, even when fully white. Handle can be positioned at 3 different angles. I would have liked a painted metal version, or maybe a cleaner looking version that isn’t so scratched up.
Interactivity: 3/5
Purely Decorative, as expected.
Total score: 17/20
Grade: A
Took you long enough!
Item 22: Watering Can
Necessity: 5/5
A pretty common prop, that’s useful clutter for gardens, sheds, and garages alike.
Fidelity: 5/5
Has a painted metal finish on the exterior and handle, with minor chips along the ridges of the body. The inside of the body uses the same scratched metal material as the bucket. The spout also has a metal look, with an appropriate amount of holes.
Customizability: 4/5
Only painted metal can be colored. Dark metal cannot be colored.
Interactivity: 3/5
Purely Decorative, as expected.
Total score: 17/20
Grade: A
A high-quality, and very cute item.
Item 23: Rake
Necessity: 5/5
Another common gardening/farming tool. Very useful.
Fidelity: 5/5
Wooden handle has a realistic grain with knots along it. Both rake heads have an appropriate worn painted metal finish.
Customizability: 5/5
Fully colorable! Has two options for the head.
Interactivity: 3/5
Purely decorative, as expected.
Total score: 18/20
Grade: A+
Lovely looking item. Quite nice!
Item 24 & 25: Shovel, Pitchfork
Necessity: 5/5
More common items found in rural settings.
Fidelity: 5/5
Has the same handle as the rake. Both pitchfork and shovel have well modeled and realistic heads, with appropriate wear and scratches. Both use the same smoothly modeled plastic handle. As good as they can be.
Customizability: 4/5
All 3 pieces are fully colorable. There’s no way to remove the handle, which I think would be useful for the pitchfork to give it a more medieval look.
Interactivity: 3/5
Purely Decorative, as expected.
Total score: 17/20
Grade: A
More good items!
Item 26: Wheelbarrow
Necessity: 5/5
Yet another useful piece of shed/garden clutter.
Fidelity: 5/5
The body has a rough, painted ceramic look, with smooth curves and a proper lip. Tires have a detailed tread texture, the rim of the wheel, the handle frame, and legs all use the same scratched metal material as the bucket. There is also wooden handles similar to the rake, shovel, and pitchfork. Looks really nice.
Customizability: 4/5
Everything except the tire is colorable. Nothing else really.
Interactivity: 3/5
Purely decorative, as expected.
Total score: 17/20
Grade: A
Nice item, nothing much to say!
Item 27: Fireplace Mantle
Necessity: 3/5
Although it’s nice to have, most people would probably build their own fireplaces out of canvas anyway, if they didn’t want to use the prebuilt ones.
Fidelity: 5/5
The body sports a gritty stone material with a similar material along the detailed trim along the top. The body also has dark, burnt spots, which gives an aged and well-used look. The pedestals have detailed accents going down them, and there’s a fine, coiled trim along the opening in the middle. Nicely detailed.
Customizability: 5/5
Fully colorable, with a slight darkened tint on the body from the burn stains.
Interactivity: 3/5
Purely decorative, as expected.
Total score: 16/20
Grade: A
Lots of A’s today, eh?
Item 28: Typewriter
Necessity: 4/5
A niche-ish item, but very useful for any vintage style condo.
Fidelity: 5/5
An incredibly detailed model. All the mechanisms are fully modeled, from the interior, to the keys, and the carriage on top. Extremely high fidelity. Amazing work!
Customizability: 4/5
Only the painted metal body is colorable. Everything else is not colorable. There are also 3 different variants to choose from, one with the top plate removed, and a destroyed version with messed up keys.
Interactivity: 4/5
Activating the object will move the carriage. When it reaches the end, it makes a noise, and pressing it again goes back to the right side. There are relevant I/O outputs when you type, when it reaches the end, and when it returns back to the start. There’s also a “GhostType” input, which doesn’t seem to work.
Total score: 17/20
Grade: A
A really interesting item. I like it a lot.
Conclusion
This update was very exhausting to write! So many high quality items are being added at a high rate, and I know upcoming updates are gonna be quite large as well!