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In case no one read this on Yahoo....
24-03-2008, 08:23 PM
Post: #1
In case no one read this on Yahoo....
Sorry if this is a repost. I didn't find it when I looked. So don't get all mad!  ;D


Q&A: Sims 3 Executive Producer
We speak to Sims 3's executive producer, Ben Bell, about the changes he has in mind for this all-time favorite game.
By Mike Smith
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If you're a fan of EA's smash hit The Sims, you're in good company: over 98 million copies of Sims games have been sold to date, and EA isn't finished with the franchise yet. This week saw the unveiling of the next entry in the series, The Sims 3, and Yahoo! Games spoke to its executive producer, Ben Bell, about the changes he has in mind for this all-time favorite game.

Yahoo! Games: Why do you think The Sims has become such a tremendously big success?

BB: One reason is that the subject matter that we explore in The Sims is so relevant to everybody. Everybody can find something of themselves in the game, or they can make some kind of a fantasy in the game that's immediately relevant to them. There's this strong emotional connection between people and The Sims from the moment they start playing.

The other thing that makes The Sims so popular is that the game has no punishment. There's no risk of losing in the game: it's all about discovering, exploring and creativity. For any player, whether you're a hardcore gamer or casual and mainstream, the game's not going to punish you, but it's going to reward you for being creative and trying new things.

Y!: What changes are you working on for Sims 3?

BB: We're trying to deliver something that's been missing from past Sims experiences, something that changes what's possible for you as a player. The most significant change to the game is that now it has a completely seamless, living and breathing neighborhood that players can move around. It's truly alive - in past Sims games, you didn't have the sense that different lots were connected. In The Sims 3, you can move around the town and see life anywhere you look. The other Sims who live in your town are going to grow old with you. It's the most important, fundamental change that we're introducing in The Sims 3.





Y!: How big is the neighborhood going to be?

BB: It's going to be a good-sized, small town. It'll have a little downtown with shops and a park, and a bunch of different residential neighborhoods where you can live. But what's really cool, because the Sims is all about player creativity, is that we're giving the players the tools to change their town. They can replace anyone in their town with characters that they create, and change any home they like. We're also releasing our developer tools a couple of months after the game, so the community will be able to create their own towns.

Y!: Tell us about the changes you've made to the create-a-Sim feature

BB: There are two features that go hand in hand. We're completely redesigning the create-a-Sim process, so now it's possible to make a Sim who looks like anybody you can imagine. They look dramatically different from each other.

Then we have a system we call "Traits." We give you a list of dozens of personality traits - a word that you might use to describe your friends. When one is assigned to a Sim, it changes their personality and capabilities in the game. So you can make a Sim with the trait "Genius," and they'll be a really fast learner. You can make a Sim who's a "Schmoozer," and they'll have an easy time making connections in the game. A "Hopeless Romantic" is always falling in love with different people.

Y!: What about negative traits?

Traits are going to let you make the people and the place however you like. If you wanted to make Sims that are dysfunctional and make a town that's a total disaster, you can do that. "Kleptomaniac" Sims will steal from people's homes. "Inappropriate" ones will do gross things in front of other Sims. Paranoid means they don't trust anybody, and will be constantly fearful.

Not only do traits change your Sims' behavior, they change the kind of goals they get. So a Sim who's evil would have the goal of seeing the demise of their boss. If you can architect the death of their boss, you'll make that Sim really happy.

You can combine up to five traits in any way you like to create really distinctive people. Combine that with the ability to make unique appearances, and we're putting players in the position where they can literally create any person they can imagine, and guide their life through the game.





Y!: We hear you've taken away the motive bars this time. Is that true?

BB: Your Sims still have needs, but they tell you about them in very different ways, and they're less critical to the core game. We want to put you in the position where you're thinking about what you want to do with your Sims, as opposed to what you need to do.

When you're playing the game, the main piece of information about your Sim that you care about is their mood. So you have one bar that represents their total accumulated happiness. Different things in the game can influence their mood, like having a rude guest come over, or having your first kiss, or enjoying a great meal. The core needs of The Sims are still there, but we're using these "moodlets" to describe more of the details of your Sim's life, and to have those result in definite benefits for the player.

Y!: What career tracks do you have in mind?

BB: The specific careers are similar to ones we've had in The Sims 2, but the careers and skills are more character-defining. So playing a character who's aspiring to be a chef is very different to playing one who's following the military career. Depending on which career you choose, you'll have different opportunities that'll come up and give you short-term goals to perform for your career that are relevant to where your Sim is in their career. They'll give each career its own feel.

In the past Sims games, your character went off to work, and then they came home. You couldn't really influence what happened out there. Now you can get involved by fulfilling these opportunities for your Sim, and help them get ahead in their career. Those careers will lead them to be able to do things that other Sims can't - so the chef will be able to cook unique meals.

Y!: Do you have any specific online functionality planned at this point?

BB: Our online strategy focuses on the desire that fans have to share content with each other. We'll have an all-new web site that'll be the home for the new Sims Exchange, with an easier path for people to upload and download content. We have more tools in the game for people to make user-generated content, and people will be able to share more kinds of assets than ever before. That's really the heart of the online strategy - it's all about content sharing. You'll be seeing more about how that works in the coming months.

Y!: Are you planning console versions, or just PC at the moment?

BB: Right now we're just focused on making this the best game we possibly can.

Y!: And the release date?

BB: 2009. We haven't firmed up our date yet.
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24-03-2008, 08:25 PM
Post: #2
Re: In case no one read this on Yahoo....
THANKS!!! ;D

Tick tock. Tick tock.<br />Only so long before my head explodes in anticipation of TS3. Big Grin
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24-03-2008, 08:39 PM
Post: #3
Re: In case no one read this on Yahoo....
thanks!!! i don't think this has been posted yet. hooray 2 u!
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24-03-2008, 08:39 PM
Post: #4
Re: In case no one read this on Yahoo....
wow. lots of information. thanx! hooray for you.
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24-03-2008, 09:50 PM
Post: #5
Re: In case no one read this on Yahoo....
this is fabulous. this answers & clears up a lot of questions & wonders. just fab.  :]
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24-03-2008, 10:04 PM
Post: #6
Re: In case no one read this on Yahoo....
thanks ^_^

Sweet, we can replace sims living in the town with our own!

~The Great And Powerful Moz<br /><br />tons of info about The Sims 3.<br />http://www.sims3.com/the_sims_3/check_this_out-t976.0.html
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24-03-2008, 10:11 PM
Post: #7
Re: In case no one read this on Yahoo....
This means no building to start with I guess.

We're also releasing our developer tools a couple of months after the game, so the community will be able to create their own towns.

Not good!  :-\
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24-03-2008, 10:20 PM
Post: #8
Re: In case no one read this on Yahoo....
yeah, I was a bit worried about that as well.

~The Great And Powerful Moz<br /><br />tons of info about The Sims 3.<br />http://www.sims3.com/the_sims_3/check_this_out-t976.0.html
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24-03-2008, 10:28 PM
Post: #9
Re: In case no one read this on Yahoo....
We're also releasing our developer tools a couple of months after the game, so the community will be able to create their own towns.

My thoughts are.
Do we have to buy that as well?
Or will we download it?

Can you imagine the havoc, if we download it. We couldn't even log onto the site when it opened.
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24-03-2008, 10:28 PM
Post: #10
Re: In case no one read this on Yahoo....
(24-03-2008 10:11 PM)simkid link Wrote:This means no building to start with I guess.

We're also releasing our developer tools a couple of months after the game, so the community will be able to create their own towns.

Not good!  :-\

Why do you think there will be no building... they are talking about the 'town' in the same sense as the original NH's (which could be modded for TS2 using simcity)... I think the tools they are talking about are for custom content.
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