GameSpot has posted three new screenshots of Nightlife, from the E3 demo. They give a small impression of what the Hub looks like, what dating is like, Mrs. Crumplebottom and of course a new car. You can see the screens by clicking the thumbnails below. The German box shot has also been released, and although that would normally not be of much interest, this time the "EA" brand (instead of "EA Games") is quite notable (see earlier news). There's still no official confirmation about that, but it seems very likely EA Games has been changed to EA. The box shot is the fourth picture below. Other than that there's a lot more info given by Hunter Howe, developer of Nightlife, on the official BBS. In several posts (this, this, this, this and this) he gives away some details of the new expansion pack. Read on for those details.
First news is that Teens too will be able to go out on dates. During those dates several traits will determine the attraction towards another Sim: Personality, Aspiration, and Zodiac Sign, but also the Turn ons and Turn offs matter. Turns on/off might be related to the looks of a Sim, meaning that some might not like others with red hair or glasses (or they might be attracted to those). Turn-ons and turn offs can be set during the Create-A-Sim mode, and a new aspiration reward will allow you to change them too later in the game. As the relationship gets better, the compatibility traits will matter less, so even married couples who still have a good relationship can have good dates, even if they're not compatible at all.
As for driveways, Hunter explains that you have several driveway pieces that you can place on your lot. To make a garage, you can simply surround it by walls. One of the pieces will be attached to the street, whereas others are used to extend it as far as you want. The car will drive to the end of the driveway, and then it'll stop. Naturally, garage doors will open and close if necessary.
Finally he mentions the neighborhood view from the lot a bit. That will be an option, and you can set if you want to see neighborhood buildings and/or the ploppable objects (trees and such). The view distance can also be set. So even on slower computers this option can be turned off to keep the game running smoothly.
One more thread created by Hunter is all about feedback. Through that thread you can post your comments on some features of the Sims 2, like tutorials, game tips, etc.
Thanks to SimsZone for the links, and XPDude for noticing the logo on the box.
Written at 01:23 on Wednesday, 8 June 2005 by ChEeTaH.
