Lucy has sent her weekly e-mail again, and this time she introduces Darren Futa, who talks about how custom content enters the Sims 2. In the new game, custom content will be much easier to find, as you can easily categorise it into several collections. You can give your collections a name and icon, and of course make as many as you like. Of course, as customisable as The Sims 2 will be, you can import custom icons for those collections. All custom content will be marked with a snowflake (as you can also see in the Body Shop), so you can easily distinct Maxis-made from user-made content. Also, you can download and install new content straight from within the game, so you can keep it running 24/7 and still get new stuff for your Sims. Although the information isn't really new since it was already talked about at The Sims 2 University, some of the graphics are. Darren doesn't mention the option to enlarge the catalog when buying stuff so you see more on each page, though that's probably still in the game. Finally there's also an extra artwork made for the 4th of July, which you can see below this bit (click the thumbnail to enlarge). The other graphics have been put between the text so you know what they're talking about exactly. The text can be found in the "Read More" bit or below.
Lucy: "Hi Everyone,
"Happy 4th of July weekend to all our American readers, and a just-as-happy end-of-week to everyone else! This week we're taking another look under the hood at some of the more technical things that are making The Sims 2 the definitive Sims experience to date. Specifically, we're going to talk about some of the new interface features found in the game that make uploading and downloading Custom Content a positively painless process in The Sims 2. More specifically, Darren Futa, one of The Sims 2 Producers charged with implementing these features, will be doing the explaining. Take it away, Darren."
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Darren: "Thank you, Lucy. Hi. I'm Darren Futa, a Producer on The Sims 2, and I'd like to talk to you a little bit about how you play with Custom Content in The Sims 2. Specifically, we've put the download browser right in the game! On the Neighborhood puck (for the uninitiated, the puck is the affectionate nickname for The Sims 2 user interface, because it, well, looks a lot like a blue hockey puck) you'll see the custom content icon, the "snowflake" - click on this icon, sign on and gain access to select custom content that players have created and want to share. Just download the content you like and it is ready for immediate use. No tasking out or rebooting necessary! |
| "How will you find the content you've downloaded? Just like in The Sims, custom content shows up in all the same places as Maxis content does. But in The Sims 2, you’ll be able to find it much easier. As many of you have already seen in The Sims 2 Body Shop, whenever you see a thumbnail for custom content, you'll also see the"snowflake" icon in the upper-right hand corner. Something else that is new is the ability to delete custom content right from within the interface. You just click the thumbnail of the content you want to toss, then click the “delete” button. No more searching for files in the directory system. |
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"Finally, we've added a "Collections" system to help you once you've amassed piles of custom content. When creating a Collection, you give it a name and choose an icon. Now, as you're browsing the catalogs, you can copy items into any of your Collections. Feeling blue? Copy all your blue shirts into one Collection. Have dozens of Sims downloaded from your favorite fan site? Group those under another. You can even import your own graphics to make a custom icon for your Collection folders. You'll find the Collections system in Create A Sim and the Build and Buy catalogs. |
"We can't wait to see these new features come to life with content created by all of you. Every day we marvel at the new creations we see in the Showcase and on your fansites. So, take a breather and check out the great screenshots of Custom Content interface in the game. We've also included a patriotic screen to commemorate Independence Day this weekend!"
"Happy Independence Day (where applicable)!"
Lucy & Darren
Written at 04:51 on Saturday, 3 July 2004 by ChEeTaH.
