The Sims™ 3 Community Blog
: July 2013
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Webounce around a ton of ideas around here for expansion packs, but I can thinkof very few that generated the amount of excitement as the idea for timetravel. When I say “time travel,” I’m not just talking about new technology anda new way of life in a futuristic setting—though that’s a big part of it—but alsoabout giving you the ability to travel to the future and back again, with youractions in the present having repercussions in the future. We knew it was goingto be a challenge to work out the gameplay mechanics to achieve this, but thatwas one of the things we were most excited about.

 

InThe Sims 3 Into the Future your Sims accomplishtheir time hopping by entering the Time Portal. First we knew we had to makethe new future setting compelling. We set out to build a whole new worldhundreds of years from now, a world that not only looks different but that ispopulated with all-new technology, objects and interactions that will changehow you play with life in surprising new ways.

 

Thegame gets even more interesting once you start traveling back and forth betweenthe future and the present. What your Sims do in the present will affect thefuture—will that future be a grim one or a bright one? Will your Sims have toadapt to a polluted and unstable environment, or will they walk around with aspring in their step through a love-infused wonderland where anyone is liableto break into spontaneous dance at any time? Nothing is ever completely blackor white, though: meteorites that rain down in the dystopic future can leavebehind gems that are a great source of income, and Sims that have to resort toeating bugs will find they can make a nutritious and tasty dish! Meanwhile, eventhe happy-go-luckiest of Sims in the future utopia might overdose on all thelove and sunshine and end up retching rainbows!

 

Whicheverfuture your Sims end up with, they can meet their descendants there, then dosomething in the present that threatens those descendants’ very existence. Ifyou reduce your present-day household to a single Sim with the loner trait, forexample, you might go on your next trip to the future only to find themdescendant-less!

 

Bynow you’re probably wondering exactly what kind of technology your Sims willencounter on their journey to a future paradise or dystopia. I don’t want togive away everything, but here’s a sampling: hoverboard, jetpack, laser beat machine(a crazy new electronic instrument that’s part laser harp, part foot drums!), dreampod,food synthesizer, and air tube elevator! Suffice it to say, the tech willreinvent the way your Sims eat, sleep, travel, socialize, work, and have fun.

 

Theaddition of all this new tech left us free to take full advantage of what the futuristicsetting has to offer in terms of opportunities for rich storytelling andexploration. This includes the new Create A Bot feature. From the beginning weknew we wanted to make Plumbots a central part of life in the future, and allowplayers to go deep in creating and experimenting with them.

 

Whilethe interface will feel familiar and comfortable to anybody who has used CreateA Sim, Create A Bot includes some powerful new gameplay elements that will letyou tell all sorts of new stories with a variety of biped and hover bots. Youcan hone your new bot-building skill in order to create different trait chipsand program your bots’ behavior. Your bots can become friends and companionsfor your Sims and integrate into their lives in interesting ways as you givethem not only parts to, say, help out around the home, but emotional traits aswell!

 

Wedefinitely drew inspiration from the brilliant and imaginative ideas that wesaw in our forums and can’t wait for you to get your hands on this upcomingexpansion pack. So get ready to send your Sims through the Time Portal andexperience life like never before with innovative new features ranging fromfuture technology that will improve your Sims’ way of life to the ability to shapeand alter the future through your Sims’ present-day actions. We’re very excitedabout what the future has in store for you and The Sims 3. Come back soon as we unveil more about this exciting newexpansion pack!

16:18
30/07/13
Posted by: SimGuru_UK
Categories: Expansion Pack 

We bounce around a ton of ideas around here for expansion packs, but I can think of very few that generated the amount of excitement as the idea for time travel. When I say “time travel,” I’m not just talking about new technology and a new way of life in a futuristic setting—though that’s a big part of it—but also about giving you the ability to travel to the future and back again, with your actions in the present having repercussions in the future. We knew it was going to be a challenge to work out the gameplay mechanics to achieve this, but that was one of the things we were most excited about.

 

In The Sims 3 Into the Future your Sims accomplish their time hopping by entering the Time Portal. First we knew we had to make the new future setting compelling. We set out to build a whole new world hundreds of years from now, a world that not only looks different but that is populated with all-new technology, objects and interactions that will change how you play with life in surprising new ways.

 

The game gets even more interesting once you start traveling back and forth between the future and the present. What your Sims do in the present will affect the future—will that future be a grim one or a bright one? Will your Sims have to adapt to a polluted and unstable environment, or will they walk around with aspring in their step through a love-infused wonderland where anyone is liable to break into spontaneous dance at any time? Nothing is ever completely black or white, though: meteorites that rain down in the dystopic future can leave behind gems that are a great source of income, and Sims that have to resort to eating bugs will find they can make a nutritious and tasty dish! Meanwhile, even the happy-go-luckiest of Sims in the future utopia might overdose on all the love and sunshine and end up retching rainbows!

 

Whichever future your Sims end up with, they can meet their descendants there, then do something in the present that threatens those descendants’ very existence. If you reduce your present-day household to a single Sim with the loner trait, for example, you might go on your next trip to the future only to find them descendant-less!

 

By now you’re probably wondering exactly what kind of technology your Sims will encounter on their journey to a future paradise or dystopia. I don’t want to give away everything,but here’s a sampling: hoverboard, jetpack, laser beat machine (a crazy new electronic instrument that’s part laser harp, part foot drums!), dreampod, food synthesizer, and air tube elevator! Suffice it to say, the tech will reinvent the way your Sims eat, sleep, travel, socialize, work, and have fun.

 

The addition of all this new tech left us free to take full advantage of what the futuristic setting has to offer in terms of opportunities for rich storytelling and exploration. This includes the new Create A Bot feature. From the beginning we knew we wanted to make Plumbots a central part of life in the future, and allow players to go deep in creating and experimenting with them.

 

While the interface will feel familiar and comfortable to anybody who has used Create A Sim, Create A Bot includes some powerful new game play elements that will let you tell all sorts of new stories with a variety of biped and hover bots. You can hone your new bot-building skill in order to create different trait chips and program your bots’ behavior. Your bots can become friends and companions for your Sims and integrate into their lives in interesting ways as you give them not only parts to, say, help out around the home, but emotional traits as well!

 

We definitely drew inspiration from the brilliant and imaginative ideas that we saw in our forums and can’t wait for you to get your hands on this upcoming expansion pack. So get ready to send your Sims through the Time Portal and experience life like never before with innovative new features ranging from future technology that will improve your Sims’ way of life to the ability to shape and alter the future through your Sims’ present-day actions. We’re very excited about what the future has in store for you and The Sims 3. Come back soon as we unveil more about this exciting new expansion pack!

16:05
30/07/13
Posted by: SimGuruSNelson
Categories: Expansion Pack 

Hi Simmers! SimGuru_UK here to tell you a little bit about our newest Stuff Pack: The Sims 3 Movie Stuff! This pack features dozens of objects and clothing inspired by three classic movie genres – Western, Horror and Heroes & Villains. 


The Western content was inspired by the classic “Spaghetti Western” movies of the 1960’s. We wanted to do something fun that was not necessarily historical. We settled on a saloon theme and created objects to tell a story in that setting. We have a new bar with a matching barstool, a dresser vanity, a rocking chair, a saloon door, and several new wall pieces (one of which has an Easter egg…Bella! Tell me if you find her when Movie Stuff comes out ;-)) Oh, and we have an All-In-One-Bathroom Outhouse!


I absolutely love the new Western attire which features hair, shoes, and clothing for both genders, as well as a new mustache for the men. For female adults, we have a top and bottom set for a sheriff (with pants or a skirt option) and three full body dresses, including a classic saloon girl which shows off a lot of leg! For men we have a classic cowboy look with chaps and leather vest and a ten-gallon hat.

The second movie genre we chose for The Sims 3 Movie Stuff is “spooky horror.” This was both fun and challenging because we wanted to create clothing and objects that felt distinctly different from what you would find in The Sims 3 Supernatural. We settled on a mix of classic horror and quirky Gothic style. We have a tragic bride in her worn wedding dress and veil, and a leather outfit with straps and buckles (with matching shoes) for the ladies.


The spooky objects are very unique and add an interesting spin to your Sim’s home. There is a coffee table with a spider web etched in the glass, a fireplace with glowing eyes, and two new horror themed doors. One of my favorite pieces is “The Doctor’s Spare Parts.” I’ll let you imagine what that might be… 

All of the artists working on The Sims 3 Movie Stuff are comic book junkies, so the hero & villain content was definitely our favorite genre to brainstorm and develop concept art for! We thought about all of our favorite heroes (and villains!) and then we put a Sims spin on it. We came up with unique creations such as Freezer Bunny Man, Super Justice Llama, and the villainous General Skunk! There is even a sidekick outfit for the kids! 


There are some really unique objects you can use to build out your hero or villain’s lair. We have a new table that is a crime map of the city that has flashing lights to indicate where crime is occurring. There is an awesome new wardrobe with superhero logos on the front, and a dresser vanity that has lots of lights, knobs, and other high tech looking gadgets. One of my favorite new objects is the Laser Door! Lasers turn on and off as your Sim walks through the door, and you can change the colors of the lasers. Oh, and did I mention the phone booth that doubles as a shower?

What kind of stories will you create with all these objects? We’ll wait and see when The Sims 3 Movie Stuff Pack comes out! Look for it on September 10 in North America, and September 12 and 13 in Europe and APAC. We have a special behind-the-scenes set available only to those fans who buy The Sims 3 Movie Stuff through Origin. 

Keep up to date with all things Sims by liking our The Sims 3 UK Facebook page!

12:45
25/07/13
Posted by: SimGuru_UK
Categories: Stuff Pack 

Hey Simmers, here is the latest blog from Designer Alan Copeland. Read what he has to say about the new venue, Business as Usual Bistro! Available on The Sims 3 Store 18th July.

Design is a lot like shopping on a budget. You only get so many days of development in each department –Art, Audio, Engineering, etc. – to make something really special. Having a Non Player Character (or NPC for short) work on a Store item was always something that was too big for that budget… until now.

Thanks to our talented Development Team I’m proud to introduce you to our newest The Sims 3 venue, The Business as Usual Bistro!



The Business as Usual Bistro features the brand new It’s Business Time
Industrial Oven.


This is no ordinary stovetop! While you can fix a quick meal here, the magic really happens when you Hire a Chef and Set Your Menu! Setting your menu allows you to customise the type of dining experience you want for your bistro. Do you only serve vegetarian meals or the best cheesesteaks in town?You decide!



When you Hire a Chef a townie will appear to come work that oven. He or she will start prepping food in anticipation of that dinnertime rush.




You get to set what hours you want them to work and what level of Chef you want them to be— Line Cook, Sous Chef or Executive Chef. Higher levels open up better quality food and more recipes but demand a higher salary. Decide you want to demote your chef or if you choose not to promote them after long enough and they just might quit!





You’ll also want to set up what the mark-up is going to be. Higher quality food warrants a higher price tag but even that might not be enough to keep Frugal Sims happy.



Make sure you place plenty of menus around on tables and counters so you’re Sims can have a wonderful dining experience and the Chef will come out, take your Sims order and hurry to bring them their food!



Just one more day until the all-new Business as Usual Bistro venue is available on The Sims 3 Store! We had a great time making it and are looking forward to seeing how your Sims use it.

Happy Simming!


Keep up to date with all things Sims by liking our The Sims 3 UK Facebook page!

11:41
18/07/13
Posted by: SimGuru_UK
Categories: Screenshots  PC/Mac Game