Eurogamer has conducted a live interview with
The Sims 3 associate producer Grant Rodiek, where he answered readers
questions:
ChthonicEcho asks: Can I increase or decrease the size of a
female Sims' breasts in the Sims creation screens? Hey, I'm serious [And
perverse! - Ed]
Grant Rodiek: We do not have a breast slider in
Create-A-Sim. You can change a Sim's weight and muscle-tone which will
impact that, but you cannot directly change them.
Two videos have been released each created by
a different machinima artist using The Sims 3's
Movie Mash-Up Tool. First up, Decorgal's "Rejection for Two":
And here's Baconandeggzie's "Morning Run":
Two New The Sims 3 Screenshots Released: Ghostly Goings On, and
a Workout
EA UK are offering 40 people the chance to
play The Sims 3 next Monday (that's a month before release) at an event in
Manchester and London. For a chance to win, all you've got to do is persuade
them that one of those places should be yours - but don't take too long -
the closing time for entries is this Wednesday at midnight.
>
"Your chance to play The Sims™3" at The Sims 2 UK
GameSpot AU Holds a Q&A With The Sims 3's Grant Rodiek
GameSpot AU has posted a Q&A with The Sims 3
associate producer Grant Rodiek:
GS AU Why was The Sims 3 delayed?
GR: The Sims 3 June launch gives more time for tuning and polish,
and the ability to launch the game on PC and Mac platforms simultaneously.
This is a key EA franchise and title and it deserves a bigger bet on the
best Sims game EA has made. These last few months will give us a little more
time to tune, tweak and polish the game. Our players have been waiting for
something awesome and that’s exactly what we intend to give them.
Following GameSpot's play, IGN has made
available it's own preview of The Sims 3's Movie Mash-Up Tool:
The Sims franchise is no stranger to video, of course. The Sims
2 let you record videos in-game, but after that you had to have a
third-party video editing program in order to make a movie with them. And in
those pre-YouTube days, there wasn't any thought about how to actually share
them with the world. But now we live in the YouTube and blog era, and people
are used to streaming video.
GameSpot has updated with a new hands-on
preview of The Sims 3, focusing on the game's Movie Mash-Up Tool:
Capturing a video in The Sims 3 is simple enough. You can pull
video from the game in two modes. First there's the standard video-capture
mode enabled by pressing the "V" key on your keyboard, which keeps The Sims
3's standard interface onscreen and lets you use the regular in-game
controls to manipulate the camera, and includes a few other options, such as
rotating around a single character.
They have also made available some videos, including this video blog from Jenn
Lane, a producer, who goes through creating a video with the tool. You also get a peak at
what TheSims3.com will look like:
EA have posted a new video where someone from
the United Arab Emirates who has got to play The Sims 3 talks about building
houses:
EA UK have also released a video about the recent
hands-on day, with questions asked to some of the
participants:/p>
p>
I've also discovered another video on EA UK's website
(they really should mention this stuff on the official The
Sims 3 website) where the developers discuss The Sims (series):
Read About The Sims 3's AI From The Senior AI Engineer
Sunday 5th April 2009 | 8:41 pm BST (GMT/UTC + 1)
A new blog has been posted on TheSims3.com by
Senior AI Engineer Richard Evans, who surprisingly enough talks about the AI
in the game:
One big thing we have insisted on from the start is that the
Sims won’t need you to hold their hand every time they need to use the
toilet. They are now able to take care of their basic needs on their own,
leaving you to focus on more important things: building relationships,
expanding your career opportunities, and exploring the world around you.
A new poll has begun - Have you pre-ordered
The Sims 3? Vote now to the right of every page. If you've already
pre-ordered the collector's edition, why not explain why by clicking "Vote
with explanation"? Likewise, if you haven't pre-ordered because you're not
interested, why not explain why you're on this website the same way?
The last poll asked whether you will stop playing The Sims 2 as soon as
you get hold of The Sims 3 - well, it seems an equal number of you will as
those of you who plan to play both.
> See the full results and comment on
them
And now for something completely different -
TheSims2.com has posted a gallery of LOLCats-style images of The Sims 2 -
LOLSims - provided by the community. Well, some of them are actually cats,
but cats from the Pets expansion pack, rather than real cats. Here's one to
get you going:
Wired.com's Game | Life blog has got hands on
with The Sims 3:
The Sims is all about crafting your ideal social experience.
Transform your cramped apartment into a spacious villa, surround yourself
with attractive friends. To that end, The Sims 3 provides a tool set
guaranteed to overwhelm even the hardiest amateur designers.
Wednesday 1st April 2009 | 8:13 am BST (GMT/UTC + 1) Updated Thursday 2nd April 2009 at
1:20 pm BST (GMT/UTC + 1)
EA have already announced the first expansion
pack for The Sims 3 - Let's Go To College. According to TUGWS:
"The Sims 3: Let's Go To College will be the first expansion
pack for the hot new The Sims 3" reads the press release. "For the first
time, Sims will be able to go to University and, while working on their
studies, have fun parties and make love with fellow students. Let's Go To
College will be released in the first quarter on 2010 exclusively on the
PC."
Update: In
case I did a better job of this than I thought and you
didn't realise, this was an April Fools joke - no new
expansion pack has been announced.
The Sims 3 Will Not Require Online Authentication
Thursday 26th March 2009 | 11:42 pm GMT/UTC Updated Monday 30th March 2009 at 1:33
pm BST (GMT/UTC + 1)
Rod Humble has confirmed in a news post on
TheSims3.com that the game will not require online authentication to play:
The game will have disc-based copy protection – there is a Serial Code
just like The Sims 2. To play the game there will not be any online
authentication needed.
We feel like this is a good, time-proven solution that
makes it easy for you to play the game without DRM methods
that feel overly invasive or leave you concerned about
authorization server access in the distant future.
Wednesday 25th March 2009 | 6:30 pm GMT/UTC Updated Thursday 26th March 2009 at
11:33 pm GMT/UTC
GameSpot has posted yet another The Sims 3
preview, this time from the on-going Game Developers Conference in San
Francisco. They decide to take it easy with their Sim:
We wanted to create a character that wasn't easy on the eyes: a
run-down loser with shabby clothes and an annoying head accessory, like a
goofy headband, that would make most self-respecting people want to punch
him in the face. Steeling ourselves for the task, we hunkered down with the
game's character editor for a good two, maybe three minutes before making an
even more gutsy executive decision: to just click the "random sim
appearance" button a couple of times until we got a sim that had a hat.
Update:
GameSpot have now also posted a video interview with
executive producer Ben Bell:
Americans: Get a Free Music Track When You Pre-Order The Sims 3!
Tuesday 24th March 2009 | 1:31 pm GMT/UTC
EA have announced some bonuses for
pre-ordering The Sims 3 at specific retailers in the States:
Those that pre-order the game will receive a customized
pre-order box, plumbob sticker set, redemption code for one free
downloadable music track and a double sided concert style poster of the band
or recording artist. The poster will include a photograph of the band on one
side and on the reverse side, the band as Sims! Pre-order available at
www.TheSims3.com.
Tracks include:
Ghosts (Ladytron) – Target exclusive
I love LA (Young Dre The Truth) – GameStop exclusive
Revolution (Bang Camaro) – Best Buy exclusive
The Other Side (Dexter Freebish) – Walmart exclusive
True Stories (Data Rock) – EA Store
It doesn't really make it absolutely clear, but I assume the music track
is in a format you can play outside the game, rather than for use within it.
>
Read the full Press Release at GamersHell.com
CVG Interview
The Sims 3's MJ Chun
Saturday 21st March 2009 | 4:53 pm GMT/UTC
CVG have now posted the interview with The
Sims 3 associate producer MJ Chun they promised 10 days ago:
The game was initially meant to release at the end of February before
being pushed back to June. What will you be able to achieve in that extra
time?
Chun: The extra time has been amazing. It's the polish bugs, like it
takes too long to reach the top of a particular career or little things like
the hint that comes up telling you where to find a particular fish is
completely wrong.
Lots of The Sims 3 Questions Answered From UK Hands On Day
Friday 20th March 2009 | 1:53 pm GMT/UTC
The staff and moderators at the official UK
forum for The Sims 3 have answered lots of questions regarding the game
after attending a hands on day.
How do you switch between families?
You can change the family that you are playing by using the Active Household
button. In the information screens it does say that if you elect to change
the playable family then your current ones will have their wishes and
opportunities removed. Then those Sims will continue to age and live as
normal while you are playing the new family.
VideoGamer.com have posted a new interview
with The Sims 3 associate producer MJ Chun:
VideoGamer.com: Where do you begin when it comes to deciding
what you'll do with a new Sims game?
MC Chun: One of the things that happens is that you start with a small team.
When Sims 3 was a twinkle in someone's eye, it was like five people, maybe?
It was really a tiny team with ideas everywhere. How do you get the Sims to
co-operate, and how do you get the custom content in? One of the things I
really love about Sims 3 is that it takes things back to the Sim.
I've got two "new" The Sims 3 screenshots
here. I say "new" in quotes because I'm not sure they're actually new at
all. The second one I have seen before, but I think it wasn't large enough
to put on here, and the first one I don't think I have seen before, but it
may still not be very new, as it was probably meant to accompany the similar
one I posted a week ago. Anyway, here they are:
Make sure to allow the page to load before clicking the
thumbnails, or they won't load in the image viewer, which is
no use as I recite what the text says in the first screen
within it.
TVG holds a Q&A and VideoGamer.com does a
preview, all in the name of The Sims 3
Monday 16th March 2009 | 11:41 pm GMT/UTC
TVG have followed up their recent preview with
a Q&A with The Sims 3 associate producer MJ Chun:
TVG: We had one sim up earlier called Monty who was doing
some very peculiar things. There was a good mix of him not necessarily
following orders - obviously they essentially follow commands, but the sims
kind of do what they want a little bit as well. There's sort of a
peculiarity about it, even down to the life goals and traits...
Yes. Robot-animal crossbreeder is one of my favourite life goals.
VideoGamer.com have posted a new preview of the game too:
Infant Sims start off with only two traits, gaining more as
they grow up. At the preview event I attended, someone had
made a baby that was Evil and Insane; I hope for their sake
that they weren’t replicating their own child.
TVG and Eurogamer have both posted new The
Sims 3 previews:
And character is the key word here, because we've never experienced
sims with so many different inclinations and penchants for certain modes of
behaviour. It's unpredictable to the point that it becomes entertaining -
it's almost fun enough just to leave each sim to its own devices and see
what they get up to.
And then, with a scroll and a click, I send She-Hulk running
across the road to start seducing the neighbours, while John
watches helplessly. It's something that I've wanted to do
ever since laying down my first piece of virtual furniture,
and something that all Sims games have prevented me from
doing with their my-home-is-my-level system where all the
places in town were their own little places, requiring
tedious loading to get between.
IGN has a look at The Sims 3's AI, plus
new screenshots, and how the game is a risk
Thursday 12th March 2009 | 1:33 pm GMT/UTC
IGN has posted a new preview where they have a
look at The Sims 3's AI (Artificial Intelligence):
It all comes down to the fact that each sim you create
has a personality that's based on traits and wishes.
Traits are behaviors that you can mix and match to
create almost any personality type. Do you want the
hopeless romantic who falls in love easily? How about a
kleptomaniac? They're both among the possibilities that
you can create.
EA have also handed IGN a video where Grant Rodiek creates three Sims, then leaves them to do what they
want:
In other news, CVG have talked to associate producer MJ
Chun, who says that having an open work neighbourhood is
risky:
"One of the
things that I think is risky is whether or not people will
find that the town feels alive to them. I think it's a risk
because you control your Sim and traditionally it has been
about your home lot and now there's this open world.
"I think some people are going to find that
it's too much and that they want that level of control back,
and that some people are going to be disappointed and want
more. I'm interested in seeing what the community thinks
about it.
New The Sims 3 Screenshot Shows the Selecting of a Lifetime Wish
Tuesday 10th March 2009 | 12:58 pm GMT/UTC
EA have released a single new screenshot
showing the selecting of the a lifetime wish in the Create-a-Sim. The
description for the selected wish suggests that each career track can have
more than one branch.
Read What's New In The Sims 3 With
GameSpot's New Preview
Saturday 7th March 2009 | 7:31 pm GMT/UTC
GameSpot have posted a new The Sims 3 preview,
which goes through what's new in the game.
Buy and Build modes have been tweaked in The Sims 3, and
neighborhood lots will also work differently. Previously, furniture for your
house was sorted by function and type; now they'll have a revamped
room-specific sorting list as well. The larger part of the story of the Buy
and Build modes will be the use of create-a-style to paint all of your
furniture, as well as your house, with whichever patterns you want as
freeform wallpaper and carpeting--such as with, let's say for the sake of
example, leopard print.
It's that time of the month again, where a
poll ends and another begins. Last month, I asked how you felt about The
Sims 3's delay - it appears the majority of you were angry! Click below to
see and comment on the results.
> Poll Results
So that's the poll that's ended, what of the poll that's begun? Well,
here's the question: Will you stop playing The Sims 2 as soon as you get hold of The
Sims 3? Vote now to the right of every page.
PC World chats to The Sims 3's Grant Rodiek in New Movie
Discover Collecting in The Sims 3 in the
Newest Blog Post
Sunday 1st March 2009 | 10:46 pm GMT/UTC
It's been a while, but a new blog post has
finally been, well, posted, on TheSims3.com. In it, Game Designer Eric
Holmberg-Weidler talks about collecting in the game, including fishing,
plants and rocks:
Some of the rarest fish can only be found in special locations
around the neighborhood, or only at specific times.An
example is the experimental robot fish, which can only be caught behind the
science facility.Once caught, fish can be used for many
purposes.Two of my favorites are purely for collecting:
you can mount any fish you catch on the wall, or if you prefer to keep your
fish alive, you can put them in fish bowls and display them around your
house.
Back
to Old News Archive
GameSpot has updated with a new hands-on
preview of The Sims 3, focusing on the game's Movie Mash-Up Tool:
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