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: March 2013

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Welcome to Paradise

@SimGuruRyan, Lead Producer for The Sims 3 introduces the newest expansion, The Sims 3 Island Paradise, dropping anchor this June!

When we started work on The Sims 3 Island Paradise, we had one goal – to deliver you the content, features, and gameplay to not just create and play with an island paradise, but to create and play with what you envision an island paradise to be. We all have different ideas of what paradise means, so we strived to create an expansion that includes as many of those concepts as possible. Through features like sailing the open seas on a houseboat of your own design, scuba diving in search of sunken treasure, or relaxing in the lap of luxury at a mega resort (just to name a few!), The Sims 3 Island Paradise gives you the opportunity to both create paradise, and then play with it. As we continue to build Island Paradise, we’re focusing on a few major parts of the game to achieve this.

The first one is definitely the ocean. With the release of The Sims 3 Seasons, we enabled swimming in the ocean for the first time, and with The Sims 3 Island Paradise, we’re really taking what you can do on, and below, the ocean to a whole new level. You might enjoy having your Sims sit back and relax on a sailboat as they venture off into the sunset, or maybe even go for a quick paddle on a rowboat. Alternatively players might be more interested in a speedboat or Jet Ski to quickly head out in search of uncharted islands veiled by a mysterious fog!

Players that love to build things can create fully functional houseboats using the complete suite of Build/Buy Mode tools to design and furnish floating abodes. And did I mention scuba diving?? For the first time ever in The Sims 3, you’ll be able to take your Sims under the ocean’s waves in search of sunken treasure! While down there you might even encounter some unexpected – or dangerous – marine life. The tropical ocean in this brand new world is packed with tons of all new ways to interact with your Sims, and our hope is that it gives you the feeling of your own island paradise, even if you’ve never before stepped your own toes into beautiful crystal blue waters.

Resorts are another area of the game that we’re focusing on. Whether you’re looking to build a sprawling mega resort, have your Sims stay in a stilt foundation bungalow out over the ocean, or even directly manage an exclusive beachside retreat, resorts in The Sims 3 Island Paradise provide these experiences and much more. With advanced Build/Buy features such as the ability to build out over the ocean, create pools using the new resort-specific Blueprint Mode, and place dynamic new resort towers to attract potential guests. For those of you with more of a business mindset, resorts allow you to manage and fine tune the characteristics of your resort down to the smallest detail – all while making a little money on the side! Utilize the Resort Star Rating System to see how your guests like your resort and then make crucial business decisions like adding fun amenities, hiring maintenance staff, or setting quality levels. All decisions tie into the popularity and overall success of your resort, so make sure your guests are happy… or don’t! It’s your paradise, and you get to make the decisions. But don’t worry, resorts aren’t all about work. If your Sims are looking to melt away into an extended vacation, resorts are the place to go! Belly up to the in-pool bars, eat until your heart’s content at epic buffets, or even test your skills at the fire walk pit and many other amenities! Resorts are a massive new experience that really offers fun for everyone, regardless of how you play The Sims 3.

Of course, no The Sims 3 expansion pack is complete without all new careers, skills, collectibles, Lifetime Rewards, traits and places to WooHoo, of course! We’ll get into more detail of what those new items look like so be sure to stay tuned for upcoming blogs, Q&A’s, Twitter Takeovers and more. Also be sure to mark your calendars for our next Live Broadcast on April 16 where we’ll be showing an all-new gameplay demo and taking your questions live!

Until then, Sim-on Simmers, and get ready to spend your summer in paradise!

@SimGuruRyan

17:13

26/03/13

Posted by: SimGuru_UK

The Time Has Come To Head Off To University!!

The Sims 3 University Life launch day has finally arrived here in the UK! This is an extremely exciting time because we finally get to see how you’ll play University Life and hear the new stories that you’ll tell with all the exciting content in this pack. Last month, we hosted a sneak peek for some community members and we were really excited to see their positive reactions to the game – now it’s your turn.

One thing that really excites me about the launch of University Life is that this expansion pack has a little something for everyone. The new university world provides lots of objects, venues, skills, and gameplay to reveal untold stories. Your Sim can be an academic genius or a social butterfly. They can live in a variety of different housing options – dorms, apartments or a sorority or fraternity house and be a member of different social groups, from jocks, to nerds to rebels. Dabble a little bit in each social group or gain top influence with one, it’s up to you.

For the studious Sims – the entire campus is their classroom. Sims will have to balance their lives and work hard for good grades. To advance through the educational process, Sims will have to attend classes, take notes and try not to fall asleep during lectures. Maybe your Sim will cheat to pass a test? Outside of the classroom, Sims will participate in study groups, and interact with special major-specific objects. Being an artistic person myself and always doodling, one of my favorite additions is the new sketchbook for Fine Arts majors!

For those Sims who are more focused on making their University Life a social experience, there are lots of new things to do. Your Sims can build influence with one or all of the social groups, play kicky bag in the quad, flirt or fall in love, and use their new smartphones to tap into all the latest activities going on around campus. The smartphone allows your Sims to build their Social Networking skills by blogging, texting, taking photos and streaming videos. Sims can also use their smartphone to check their influence among the new social groups.

For Sims who want to explore the campus there are new venues like the bowling alley, Student Union and Keith’s Komics. Rebellious Sims may find their niche at the Grotto where the rebels like to hang out. Here they can gain special Street Art skills by painting walls, ground murals and spray painting graffiti.

For Sims that are really ambitious, there is an opportunity to join my favorite new career - Video Game Developer. I began creating computer animated short films and video games while I was attending university and I quickly learned that making fun interactive experiences for people to play and explore was what I really wanted to do for my career. I am really excited that players will now be able to create a similar story in their game. Sims that love to play video games and have an interest in the arts will thrive in this new career.

In The Sims 3 University Life, your Sims are sure to meet new Sims and experience the ups and downs of college, like choosing a roommate, throwing amazing parties like a juice kegger or bonfire or even spearheading a protest on campus. Maybe your Sim will have their first kiss? See what happens when you experiment with the new dare system in the game!

All of these stories and more are possible! We hope you love The Sims 3 University Life as much as we do! Share your stories with us on the forums, Facebook and Twitter! Can’t wait to hear about your adventures in this game! The Sims 3 University Life is now available across retailers and on Origin.com, you can get it here!

Find out more about all things Sims on our UK Facebook page! And if you're feeling creative, enter our University Life Jacket Competition by throwing an amazing University Life party, take a screen shot, and send it to UniversityLife.ea.com. Find out more about this competition & see the prize here :) (T&Cs)

Happy Simming!
The Sims 3 UK

09:36

08/03/13

Posted by: SimGuru_UK

Categories: Screenshots Special Guest PC/Mac Game Expansion Pack

Feature blog: Meet The Sims 3 Development Team & Take a Walk Down Memory Lane Pt2

Don't forget to check out Part 1 !

Let's continue with getting to know The Sims 3 Development team...

LEAH LEAVITT, SENIOR QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTER

EA SALT LAKE

Leah at work, college graduation and a screenshot showing off a Sim building their Science Skill. Leah mainly tested the Science Skill in The Sims 3 University Life, which can unlock a lot of unique interactions and socials.

If you could be any icon from the 70s, 80s or 90s, who would you be and why?

I would be Buzz Aldrin because that would mean I had walked on the moon, and punched a man for claiming otherwise. Or I would be Bill Gates because I would have a decent amount of cash. Or Mario Lopez from Saved by the Bell. I would be perfectly fine with any of those!

Did you have a favorite poster on your bedroom wall in high school or college and if so, what was it?

My room was pure chaos. You couldn’t see the walls, as they were completely smothered with band posters, album art and newspaper clippings. My favorite poster was Albert Einstein riding a bike…because it’s Albert Einstein riding a bike.

My favorite TV Show growing up was…

Arthur, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Saved by the Bell

My college mascot and team colors were…

Our mascot used to be a Ute Indian, and now it is a red-tailed hawk, and our colors are crimson and white!

My favorite memory from college was…

I love traveling, and university gave me great opportunities to do that. I went to Japan for two weeks and stayed with families in different cities. I really got a sense of the country’s culture.

I also had an internship at the public defender’s office in New York City to fulfill my Political Science major. I was only 19, and not quite socially adept. My shyness got me into a lot of awkward, but memorable situations. I had to learn to adapt pretty quickly to the lifestyle there (as it is not very similar to Utah!)

In college, instead of studying, you’d catch me doing…

I only took one semester off during my 4-years at university, so I think I spent 92% of my time studying! For the other 8%, I read, took photographs, played video games, browsed the Internet, hung out with my boyfriend and friends, and went to the park with my dogs.

CHRISTIAN MALAN, WORLD BUILDER AND 3D MODELER

EA SALT LAKE

Christian at his desk, in high school, and a screenshot of a bowling alley and sports bar in The Sims 3 University Life.

If you could be any icon from the 70s, 80s or 90s, who would you be and why?

I'm not much into following celebrities... but if I wanted to be similar to someone that was an icon in their field, I would choose J. Scott Campbell. I really loved his comic book art back in the late 90's.

Did you have a favorite poster on your bedroom wall in high school or college and if so, what was it?

I had some pretty great Star Wars posters that complimented my X-wing model that I had hanging from my ceiling in my room. In fact I still have that same X-wing toy, it is now hanging above my desk here at EA Salt Lake. If you can't tell, I love geeking out on Sci-fi.

My favorite TV Show growing up was…

Well during college I loved watching Arrested Development. Love that show!

My college mascot and team colors were…

Waldo the Wildcat and the colors were purple and white. I was never into going to sports games though. I have no interest in that kind of stuff. I was mostly into studying art and doing activities in that department.

My favorite memory from college was…

I loved going to gallery shows at school. I also had a lot of fun working on building an indie videogame with my buddies.

In college, instead of studying, you’d catch me doing…

On the weekends I would go camping with friends in the mountains, and we would throw big bonfire parties. We had some pretty great times.

SARAH DAHL, QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTER

EA SALT LAKE

If you could be any icon from the 70s, 80s or 90s, who would you be and why?

Honestly, I’m not sure but I guess I’ll say Molly Ringwald because for a little while there she had like 12 movies out. And she’s a redhead, so that would be awesome.

Did you have a favorite poster on your bedroom wall in high school or college and if so, what was it?

I had a big N*Sync poster for the longest time. It was a teenage girl’s dream. I loved it.

My favorite TV Show growing up was…

I am a good ol’ Looney Toons girl. I had a Tweety Bird bedspread for the longest time.

My college mascot and team colors were…

Wildcats and purple.

My favorite memory from college was…

Taking classes with my friends and being able to goof off when the professors weren’t looking… and sometimes when they were.

In college, instead of studying, you’d catch me doing…

Doing plays and playing some videogames. I’d always be at some sort of gaming system. I had a great group of friends who I’d hang out with too. I actually wrote my own Sim’s stories too!

Thanks to The Sims 3 Development team for taking the time to do this fun interview!

Keep up to date with all the latest Sims news, screens and more by LIKING our UK Facebook page!!

11:27

07/03/13

Posted by: SimGuru_UK

Categories: Special Guest PC/Mac Game Sims Stories

Feature blog: Meet The Sims 3 Development Team & Take a Walk Down Memory Lane Pt1

In this featured blog, we take a walk down memory lane with some members of The Sims 3 development team and use The Sims 3 University Life and The Sims 3 70s, 80s, and 90s games as inspiration.

MEET THE SIMS 3 DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Inspired by the recent expansion and stuff pack releases for The Sims 3 , we thought we’d ask some of the development team members from The Sims 3 University Life and The Sims 3 70s, 80s, and 90s Stuff some questions about their high school and college days as well as share screenshots of game features or objects they personally worked on that are most memorable to them. We hope you enjoy this new featured blog.

GRAHAM NARDONE, ASSOCIATE PRODUCER (@SimGuruGraham)
EA REDWOOD SHORES

Graham at his EA desk, in college, and Graham’s favorite contribution to The Sims 3 franchise – tombs from The Sims 3 World Adventures. These are the cavernous chambers that lay deep beneath the Temple of Heaven, one of the major landmarks in Shang Simla.

If you could be any icon from the 70s, 80s or 90s, who would you be and why?
I'd have to go with Dan Marino. Growing up as a kid in Miami I could actually see Joe Robbie Stadium in the distance from my bedroom window, so it only stood to reason that I became a huge Miami Dolphins fan. There was no bigger name in Miami for a near 20-year span then “Dan the Man.”

Did you have a favorite poster on your bedroom wall in high school or college and if so, what was it?
When I was a bit younger I had this awesome Green Day poster from the Kerplunk album. It was neon green, yellow and pink which made it really pop visually. It probably represented the last dying gasps of the style of the 80s, but I loved the way it looked on my wall. I tried to find a picture of it online after thinking about this question, but my search turned up nothing... I wonder if it's actually a rare one? When I got a bit older and really into videogames, I started putting more game posters on my walls. My prized possession there had to be a Battlezone poster signed by the developers, which they sent to me for making such positive contributions to the game's community back then.

My favorite TV Show growing up was…
Growing up I think I was always so intrigued by videogames that I never spent too much time watching TV. Kids around me would really get into things like the Ninja Turtles or Power Rangers, but I can't say any of the shows growing up really interested me. If anything, my guilty pleasure was some of the sitcoms of the 90s. Things like Seinfeld (of course), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and NewsRadio.

My college mascot and team colors were…
My college mascot was the Dolphins, a happy coincidence considering my allegiance to my favorite NFL team. And when I say our mascot was a dolphin, I mean that quite literally. No goofy guys in a costume, there's a dolphin named Nellie who was born in 1953 that students and alumni can still visit at Marineland in St. Augustine, FL. Our school colors were forest green and white. It made for a pretty classy combination, although I'll admit I like the aqua and orange of my Miami team more.

My favorite memory from college was…
As I was getting closer to graduating, I still needed to complete an internship to actually earn my degree. The internship I ended up with wasn't exactly what you'd consider a typical experience... Rather than going to a company and learning beneath someone, I was temporarily brought on-board by an amusement park in the Florida panhandle who wanted to completely re-design their laser tag experience and build a new arena for players to complete in. Being a student who worked with 3D modeling as well as someone with a great interest in first person shooter videogames, they entrusted me with coming up with the layout that they would ultimately build. I spent a few nights on location, working throughout the night while the park was closed to take measurements, as it'd be important to create a very accurate depiction of their space. I took what had been a jungle setting and transformed it into a modern Tokyo inspired setting in the midst of an alien invasion. There were some really cool design elements to make you feel like you were in ruined streets of crumbling concrete buildings, while still retaining a safety area for visitors. When I submitted the final design to them, they were so pleased with it that it was in-fact built, although I've unfortunately never had the chance to see it in person once they completed construction.

In college, instead of studying, you’d catch me doing…
Playing videogames, what else! I was also a manager in the arcade at a local amusement park back then, so be it work or my own free time, I always had some sort of electronic gadget around that was keeping me occupied.

AMY UNGER, SOFTWARE ENGINEER

EA REDWOOD SHORES

Amy at her EA desk with all her stuffed animals, in college, and a screenshot of some of Amy’s favorite objects that she worked on including a foosball table and hot tub!

If you could be any icon from the 70s, 80s or 90s, who would you be and why?

Jennifer Aniston. I totally loved her hairstyles and she always seemed like the nicest person.

Did you have a favorite poster on your bedroom wall in high school or college and if so, what was it?

No posters just tons of stuffed animals everywhere. Wait I still have tons of stuffed animals everywhere.

My favorite TV Show growing up was…

She-Ra. I’m a huge fan of female super heroes.

My college mascot and team colors were…

Michigan Wolverines. I bleed Maze and Blue!

My High school mascot & team colors were…

My high school had an unusual mascot. We were the River Rats! When the school first opened in 1969 our rival school called us “River Rats” as an attempt at insulting the students. But the students took pride in their school and petitioned to make our mascot be the River Rat over other suggested mascots by the school board.

My favorite memory from college was…

Working the student bagel stand in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building on campus. Even though I had to wake up super early, I had so much fun greeting fellow students as they stopped in to grab a quick breakfast (and more importantly an extra strong coffee) on their way to class. I used to open the stand at 7am with my friend Rob who is now my husband.

Second favorite memory was hanging out with my computer engineering friends at a house they shared. We used to have a BBQ every week called “seared flesh” where we pretty much tried to BBQ anything and everything including marshmallow peeps.

In college, instead of studying, you’d catch me doing…

Hanging out with friends.

Playing video games

Taking a nap. I love naps.

CONNIE BEATY, SENIOR QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTER

EA SALT LAKE

Connie today, in college and a screenshot of a Townie in The Sims 3 University Life she submitted named Garrison Fort.

If you could be any icon from the 70s, 80s or 90s, who would you be and why?

Princess Leia! I love Star Wars more than most things and who wouldn’t want to date Han Solo?!

Did you have a favorite poster on your bedroom wall in high school or college and if so, what was it?

When I lived with my roommate and best friend Liz, we had an epic Jonny Depp Wall, which included posters of Edward Scissorhands, Pirates of the Caribbean, Willy Wonka and Corpse Bride.

My favorite TV Show growing up was…

Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Watched it every day after school.

My college mascot and team colors were…

Our colors were Blue and White, and our mascot was a giant blue bull affectionately known as Big Blue. Best thing about Big Blue was at basketball games he would repel down from the roof onto the court and then crowd surf through the student section. He was hardcore!

My favorite memory from college was…

Being a part of my comedy improv troupe. Everyone in the group came from different backgrounds and were very different people but we all got along so well and became our own little college family.

In college, instead of studying, you’d catch me…

Playing Xbox, Playing Munchkin with Friends, or watching the latest episode of Adventure Time.

Stay tuned for part 2!

11:18

07/03/13

Posted by: SimGuru_UK

Categories: Special Guest PC/Mac Game Sims Stories

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