Besides the released patches, there is more news from the official site. As Halloween is coming up soon, Maxis has released a new Halloween postcard, as well as two new vampires, Amelia and Bartholomew (Bart). These two teens come with some custom clothing in vampire style. You don't need Nightlife for these Sims, just the Sims 2 is enough.

Other than that, there's also a new survey. In it there's talk about so-called Shopping Packs, 75 items for roughly $20. The name is probably a new name for the earlier mentioned earlier, only with 125 instead of 75 items. Five themes for these packs are mentioned and explained during the survey:

• Glamorous Luxury - Signature home furnishings, design, and wardrobe items to live the luxurious life of the rich & famous.
• Complete Makeover - Change things up with new attire and clothing accessories or re-design your home with unique objects and a variety décor options.
• Summertime - Fun Warm weather patio furniture, swim attire, and summertime design options for fun in the sun.
• Nostalgic Delights - Decorative furniture, hairstyles, outfits, and more from the best times of past centuries.
• Family Items - New objects, home design options, and outfits for family life for kids and parents.
• Outdoor Life - Get in touch with the great outdoors with gardening clothing, landscape design options, camping supplies and more.

The Holiday Party Pack seems to be a first, somewhat small, shopping pack, having 40 items for roughly $15. If you take the survey while it's open, you'll also have to answer a few Nightlife related questions.

[Update 17 October 14:30] Amelia has disappeared and reappeared on the exchange. The link in the newspost above has been updated.