The Sims 3
The Sims 3 is an upcoming social simulation game for Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to the highly popular and critically acclaimed The Sims and The Sims 2 computer games. It was announced in an interview by Electronic Arts in November 2006,[3] where it was also mentioned that the release date of the title would likely be in the "fiscal 2009" year.
Teasers and Previews
In the 7th expansion pack for The Sims 2, The Sims 2: FreeTime, an event occurs in which a Sim-version of Rod Humble, The Sims 3's executive producer, gives the player's Sim family an unopened gift box. When opened, the family gets a computer with The Sims 3 on it. The Sims 3 game cannot be bought in the catalog. Sims can then play The Sims 3 on their computers or console systems. Like all the other games that Sims can play in The Sims 2, The Sims 3 is a looping game play video shown on the player's Sim's computer screens when played by a Sim.
Since late February 2008, multiple gaming magazines and websites have featured articles describing the changes made in The Sims 3 from its predecessors.
On July 15 2008 the first video preview of The Sims 3 appeared on the official website as did 7 new screenshots and 5 Create-A-Sim screens. Four screenshots that appeared on the website and were then taken down soon after, leaked onto the internet from a member of the community.
VIP Service
On May 23, an email was sent out to early sign-ups on the website, the people who signed up early, known by them as the "Founder" VIP's, get special screen shots before their release to the website. The regular VIP email service is still available to the public. As of August 13, 2008, accessing the VIP section of the official site requires a passcode, which is received when signing up to the service.
Gameplay
In the April/May 2008 edition of the Games for Windows: The Official Magazine, there is a 12-page preview of the game.[4] This preview explains that Sim houses and neighborhoods will be entirely in one seamless, continuous map, and states that "what you do outside your home now matters as much as what you do within". Also it is claimed that other Sims will age with the player's Sims as they interact with them.
Of the eight needs of The Sims 1 & 2, only four - bladder, hunger, energy and fun - will remain. These will be completed by moodlets - attributes which are acquired by special events (minor events like toothbrushing, and major ones like wedding), and affect the Sims' behavior.[5] The Want and Fear system of The Sims 2 is replaced by Dreams and Promises.
Several features from The Sims 2 expansion packs will appear in the original The Sims 3, such as the "young adult" life stage (University), private cars (Nightlife), fishing[6] (Seasons) and jewelry[7] (Bon Voyage).
Sims at work
The game will also incorporate further aspects of real life, including several new jobs. Some available careers are military, science and chef. Each career has a workplace building in the neighborhood, where Sims travel before their shifts. Sims can also apply for jobs with these buildings. Though Sims are hidden inside buildings during the workday, the player can control their behaviour at work to a certain extent. The job yields "opportunities" - tasks that could be finished for a reward. There are also part-time jobs. Sims can also take actions to increase their productivity while not at work, such as bringing work home or working overtime.
Create-A-Sim
Create a Sim is the character (Sim) builder. In Create-A-Sim, the polygon 3-D models of Sims can be modified by changing a wider variety of properties than what was available in previous installments. This opens the door to creating completely unique Sims with regard to stature, height, weight, hair, and clothing.[8] Players can customize nearly everything in the game, including furniture, clothes and shoes. Rod Humble described the new interface in Create-A-Sim as "drastically different".
Personality configuration for Sims has also been made more complex, with the original 'percentage bar'-style personality points replaced by a combination of traits, similar to those in the personals section of newspapers. Toddlers have two traits, and a new one is added for each new life stage, until they reach young adulthood - so they will have five traits for the rest of their lives. In addition to this, individual fitness bars have been added to adjust the Sims weight and muscle. Sims now have the capacity to become extremely obese, or extremely muscular. This is in comparison to The Sims 2, where Sims simply had 3 levels of fitness/fatness.
The player can now choose their Sims' favorite color, music type, food, etc., an option not available in The Sims 2. Players can personalize much more about their Sim, such as changing body shapes as they could with faces in The Sims 2. Also there are sliders for weight and fitness, although Sims created as overweight can become slim by exercising and Sims created thin may become fat by eating too much and not exercising. Arm and legs are separate so players can create Sims with fat bodies and thin arms. Players can choose specific Asian and African models as well. Clothes are also customizable from Create A Sim. Players can change the color of a certain piece of clothes or use their own patterns.
Buy and Build Modes
The Buy and Build modes have been improved. The grid is finer, and there is an option to turn off the grid. Objects can also be rotated freely. Certain pieces of furniture, such as chairs and tables, can easily be moved together. The "auto-roof" function updates the roof when walls are rebuilt. Wide staircases can be built in one action. Basements are also easier to build.
Neighborhood Interface
On March 19 2008, EA revealed new game play experiences for The Sims 3, one of them being neighborhood exploration. Players will be able to have their Sims wander around the world outside of their homes with no loading screens. This also means that the entire game is played in real-time, so Sims that the player is not using will still age and may get married, have children, and/or gain other memories and experience other events. With the absence of loading screens, it is possible to zoom in and out from a complete view of the neighborhood to the inside of a house, a feature not technologically possible in previous The Sims games. Players will be able to interact with every building in a neighborhood; none will simply be there to improve aesthetics.[9] Some buildings will be transparent for the player, while others - especially workplaces - will be "rabbit holes" where Sims are hidden.
References
- ^ The Sims 3 for PC from Gamespot
- ^ The Sims 3 set for Global launch in 2009 from IGN
- ^ Tor Thorsen (2006-11-02). "Sims 3, next-gen Black, new SimCity and LOTR coming". GameSpot. CNET Networks. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
"Yes, there's a Sims 3 in development and it's likely to be a fiscal '09 title," said Jenson, meaning the game would hit stores before April 2009.
- ^ Games for Windows 17 April/May Issue from Games for Windows
- ^ http://simparool.nl/features/sims-3-usa-event/
- ^ http://www.thesimsresource.com/article/sims3
- ^ http://www.thesimsresource.com/article/sims3part2
- ^ The Official site
- ^ The Sims 3 Preview from IGN
External links
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