DzMD vs. Life By You - A future?

Paradox's new game Life By You is causing much stir, mostly due to how it seeks to be a modern-day-suited revamp of The Sims 3, while beating out EA in almost every category of game design. However, it's future on Dozerfleet Labs - and in other divisions of Dozerfleet - will be contingent on many different factors.

Screenshot licensing

The desire of Paradox to protect its IP is understandable. However, the exact terms of licensing for players regarding what can and cannot be done with modified screenshots of content generated inside of the game determines the practicality of utilization with regards to Dozerfleet Labs acquiring a copy of the game for anything other than simple gameplay and amusement.

Scenario 1: Screenshots may be used in for-profit novels, without paying royalties to Paradox

If something on par with a Creative Commons or similar license is permitted, and for-profit novels may have their illustrations use screenshots from the game, with credits to the game and its developers provided as a sort of free advertising, then several Dozerfleet Literature productions may feature modified screenshots. For-profit comic release deals could also be made for Dozerfleet Comics. Under this setup, all future Sims 4 content packages would be canceled, and replaced with Life By You story packs. Only Sims packs that already exist will remain supported.

Freelance photography notwithstanding, nothing else on the Dozerfleet Studios end currently involves any money changing hands as part of an immediate business transaction pertaining to production. Therefore, machinima videos are not affected by this. Art for the Dozerfleet Database, and for Dozerfleet Records productions, would similarly switch over to using Life By You for anything that can't simply rely on Wonder.

The value of images in most instances would be as thus:

1. Most valuable - Photos with full permission for use or full ownership.
2. Photos with adequate permission for use.
3. Wonder AI app generations, modified or otherwise.
4. Life By You modified screenshots, or artwork otherwise generated from in-game assets.
5. Character Creator 3 or MakeHuman renders of sufficient quality.
6. Sims generated with The Sims 4.
7. Sims generated with The Sims 3.
8. Sims generated with The Sims 2.

Scenario 2: Screenshots will require a deal, or may not be used at all in for-profit third-party works

If only free content made by third parties may feature anything generated by virtue of the game, then other factors related to the product and its growth / popularity would determine future investment in the product.

If its performance can outshine The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 in almost every imaginable way, as promised, even on older CPUs, then it will replace The Sims 4 as the de-facto generator of machinomic panels for any work that isn't already too invested in Sims, or hasn't been made yet, as additional content for Life By You becomes available. Character art leaks at present have a very Sims 3 vibe to them; but that could change as the game improves.

Failing to meet this criteria, Dozerfleet Labs will likely not invest in Life By You. If it can't deliver better peformance, it'd be a waste of time and money, when so many characters are already in Sims formats, and would require some pain to translate to another game format.

Age of hardware

The current Dozerfleet Main's shelf life is up for debate; but it has already turned six years old. While its original hard drive for the operating system was replaced with a solid state drive in 2020, and it received a RAM upgrade in 2022, the motherboard won't last forever. There is currently no money for an upgrade to another tower, at least not until next year. Even then, Ryzen mini cube PCs appear to be the future of PC for Dozerfleet.

Playout by division if adopted

• Literature: Depending on game screenshot modification lisencing in the game's TOU, screenshots may or may not feature in for-profit works. Free works would be fair game, assuming the game were purchased and replaced Sims 4 as the default game engine employed for machinomics. Free works otherwise will still use Wonder, while for-profit works will take pains to stick to photos owned / created by Dozerfleet.
• Comics: Any comics in the set of comics designated to be made that haven't yet been made will be shot using this game as much as possible. While it's too soon to know the practicality of Life By You's performance for rendering characters of a fantastical nature from Ciem / Anarteq: Kahoopiliana, nor Sniperbadger: Fall of the Critter Resistance, Path of the Ming-Cho might be feasible. And if so, would replace Wonder as the art generator for that title. Sorbet could also get updated to include Life By You. Only Blood Over Water and Volkonir 2008 are hard-set on using The Sims 4. Already-produced works in post-production, like Corando's Don't Lose Hope, are exempt from this future business politics debate. Their association with The Sims is grandfathered into their design.
• Records: Character art may or may not be made with Life By You, all things considered, especially in instances where Wonder proves inadequate.
• Studios: The future of Life By You for machinima productions is up for debate. It would arguably depend on the occcasion.
• Labs: DzMD would switch over if all other criteria are met. It's unknown how many characters would be re-created in this new format, however.