Bye-bye bladder bar!

[something]

The eight traditional motive bars governing bladder, hunger, and other needs are gone and have been condensed to a few (the most important being "stress versus fun"), but that doesn't mean you don't have to go to the bathroom. Instead, a Sim that needs to pee will suddenly have a "debuff" icon (dubbed a "moodlet" by The Sims 3 makers) appear over his portrait -- reducing that Sim's mood until it's addressed. Likewise, events such as a first kiss or a job promotion can trigger moodlet buffs with lasting results.

Plusses: More time to focus on careers, relationships, or being creative right from the get-go. Less time obsessively compulsively picking up dirty dishes to top off a comfort bar -- and then realizing it's time for bed. Also, less emphasis on the acquisition of objects simply because they make a certain bar fill up faster. Plus, players can now manipulate their Sims' environment directly -- breaking the fourth wall to pick up garbage for them, for example.

Potential Pitfalls: Oversimplified Sims: While Humble and his team say they're making a concerted effort to bring back the "game" aspect of The Sims, role-playing game players (read: the type of hardcore gamer most likely to get into the Sims series) crave stats and often don't appreciate when too much is hidden behind the curtain.