Tuesday 1 February 2005

The Leaf Matrix Collection

Written at 01:31 by Sumit - 0 comments.

Welcome to the more colorful Matrix. Through this collection you will find a bounty of leaves and natural essence. The wallpaper, flooring, and bedding were handcrafted with absolute excellence. Fall into the glory of the past, fall into the glory of the future...this is the leaf matrix collection.

Below is a little sneak peak for a FEW of the things to come! :)

Kilts & Clothes

Written at 03:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

Tired of those nondescript kilts your Sims can wear? Now your sims can have pride in the tartans they wear. Be they Royal Stewart, MacDonalds, Campbells, Hendersons, Rangers FC, Celtic FC supporters or even the New York City Fire Department bagpipe band, you can download and wear these kilts with pride. Also, you can find a pack of t-shirts for your teenage girls and a sizeable mural of "The Last Supper" to complete your chapel. They can all be found here.

New Houses

Written at 16:55 by Steve - 0 comments.

A big thanks go out to Jendea for these lovely houses. They are for The Sims 2.

First we have a nice little starter home, get it here. For the Sims with a slightly larger budget we also have this traditional style, midrange house.

If you have e-mailed me in the last month I have been having e-mail problems so I applogise for not answering them. You should receive a reply soon, as I am working my way through them.

If you want to submit files to TheSimsZone, then e-mail me, and in a zip file, send me what it is you are submitting, a preview picture of it (some sort of screenshot showing the house/object/wall/clothing), along with your name, a name for what you are submitting, and a short description of it.

New submissions page

Written at 17:10 by Steve - 0 comments.

As The Sims 2 has been out for a while now, and submissions have been coming in, I have re-written the submissions page. If you want your creations to appear on the site, then for all the instructions you need please check out the submissions page.

The new submission guidelines are very easy to follow, all you need to do is send your file to us, along with a screenshot, and it will be added.

A big thanks must go out to everyone who has already submitted their work to TheSimsZone, we look forward to seeing more of your work, and new people's creations here soon.

TS2U Screen

Written at 21:21 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The stream of information about the Sims 2 University keeps flowing, this time with a screenshot. WorthPlaying has posted a page with several screenshots. Only one of them is new though, and you can see it below. Click the thumbnail to see a larger version.

Wednesday 2 February 2005

Will Wright Interview

Written at 14:18 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

As mentioned last week, the official UK site would be interviewing Will Wright. Users posted questions on the forums, and Will Wright has answered quite a few of them. He tells his aspiration is Knowledge, that he doesn't play the Sims games too much anymore, and how it happens to be that relatively many females work at Maxis, compared to other studios. His inspiration for games come from books, as he says. Even SPORE, mentioned here (on this site) first, is briefly mentioned, but no details are given:

"Where did they find that out? I am working on something, we don't know what the real name is going to be though."

"So that's the game you're working on with the smaller team?"

"Yeah, when Maxis moved I kept a separate group, we pulled out of Maxis and we moved two months ago from Walnut Creek to Emeryville, so we have our own little satellite studio now."

The last bit of that quote is news, as it seems that Maxis has now completely left its place of birth, Walnut Creek. In other answers Wright gives some information about the influence of fans in the development of the Sims and SimCity, and finally, Will explains why the company mascot are Llamas (also see our current poll). You can read the entire interview for more detailed answers from the man behind the Sims.

The Leaf Matrix Living Room

Written at 22:04 by Sumit - 1 comment.

In The Leaf Matrix Living Room, you will find a most elegant set of loveseat and sofa. It is a perfect combination. You will also find an endtable (not shown in picture), for those modern yet classic enthusiasts.



Soon you shall find one more color for your Gemstone Matrix Collection...very soon.

New TS2U Preview

Written at 22:19 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

A short review of the Sims 2 University has been posted today on PC GameWorld. Although no new information is given, it might be useful if you don't remember the main features of the game anymore or if you want to see a couple of screenshots from the pack. Read the preview to do so. Thanks to James Magenta for submitting the link.

One More Sims 2 Expansion Confirmed

Written at 22:50 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

At least one more expansion pack has been confirmed to be in development by EA. At the University of Florida EA revealed a few new titles last week while talking to the Students, including two (nameless) Sims 2 expansion packs. Assuming University is one of them, that means one more expansion is already in development now. If University isn't then we can expect at least two more EPs already being developed by Maxis, even though the first one isn't released yet. Maxis has previously already stated that expansions will come out at about a 6-month basis, so we should know about them within a year. Check out IGN's article for some more details.

Thursday 3 February 2005

The Llama Is Still Gone (New Poll)

Written at 01:00 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Last week 210 people told us where the Llama had gone to, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be helping much. Answers to last week's poll varied a lot, although "Off to see the wizard" was the most comon one, with 30% of the votes. "Gone to be sheared to make a woolly sweater" got 16.7%, which is a second place along with "College". Other options including the Zoo (11.4%), Strangetown (10%), Wisconsin (6.2%), Africa (4.8%) and AFK (4.3%) are less popular places for Llamas apparantly. This concludes last week's research about that, see the results page for an overview of the results.

This week we want to know what topics Sims send e-mails about to their friends. Let us know and vote on the right or on the latest poll page. The poll will run for one week as usual.

SimDay [Update]

Written at 20:54 by ChEeTaH - 2 comments.

This week's SimDay brings a few new things. The first is the winning of an AIAS award by the Sims 2. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has awarded the game as best simulation game of 2004. Last year Maxis won two AIAS awards as well, for Bustin' Out and Superstar. Furthermore there's news of an interview with Will Wright on The Onion. The website interviewed Will about creating the Sims and SimCity series. He talks about how he gets inspired, but also about things he's tried but never worked out very well, and how SimAnt more or less turned into the Sims:

"There was a little simulation of a guy who lived in the house who would sit and watch television, get food from the fridge, mow the lawn, stuff like that. I realized at the end of SimAnt that the simulation we built for the ants was almost more intelligent than for the guy, because the guy was being done using traditional programming, whereas the ants were done using this distributed environmental intelligence of the pheromone trails. I began wondering, could we build a more robust simulation of human behavior if we adopted this ant model, where we distribute the intelligence not through the agents, but through the environment? Then I started experimenting with some techniques, and that got the ball rolling for The Sims."

To read the rest of the article, which mentions a lot more than just that, head over to the special. Finally there's a link to yesterday's preview, which we've already mentioned here.

[Update 4 February, 23:30] SimDay Part 2 has been posted as well, with two new things. The first is a survey about the Urbz. If you got the game, you can let Maxis know what you think of it. It's quite possible they will use the information for future games. Remarkable is the mention of the Urbz 2 during the survey. There have been some rumours about this title already, and although the survey in no way confirms it it's not any less likely now. The second thing is a new Valentine's Day look for MySim Pages. If you're feeling romantic you can apply it to yours, or you can check out MaxoidMonkey's page for a preview.

Friday 4 February 2005

The Arctic Blue Matrix Bedroom

Written at 01:15 by Sumit - 0 comments.

And the teaser has shown true, as the next generation of gemstone bedrooms are revealed. Download this with much glee and delight, this one will bring sims in ultimate happiness. This is a bedroom, thus includes the bedsheets, wallpaper, and flooring. I hadn't made curtains, but if anyone wants some, they shall come.



Two more colors come...and maybe more if there comes to a time of demand.

Saturday 5 February 2005

The Sims Five Years Old

Written at 00:36 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

This week the Sims has turned 5. The first version was released early February 2000, and now we're 5 years, 7 expansions, a sequel, 3 console games and 2 handheld games further. The Sims is the most successful franchise on the PC ever, as the first game has sold more copies than any other PC game before. Although official sites don't seem to be mentioning it, we do. Congratulations to Will Wright, Maxis and EA with this!

New Tutorial - Community Lots

Written at 00:37 by Neil - 2 comments.

Brand new tutorial cum "infomercial" (for want of a better description) added by me (hello!). This particular one discusses community lots, what to do, what not to do and generally shows one I made and also: The Llama isn't hidden here (see previous news posts). If you want proof, grab the file from my Files section.

Clicky here: ->Read Tutorial <-.

New Beginnings Contest Winners Announced

Written at 01:22 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Maxis has announced the winners of the New Beginnings Contest. Aprylhalbrooks14 has won it with her "New You" film. Limbo1n and decorgal were runners-up with their creations "New Beginnings" and "The Resolution". The movies are available for download now from the contest winners page. They might be quite big, especially for dial-up users. Congratulations to the winners and runners-up!

Strangerhood Episode 4

Written at 14:13 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Rooster Teeth Productions has finished and posted Episode 4 of the Strangerhood, a sitcom made with the Sims 2. The episode "Sublimination Round" is 4 minutes and 48 seconds long, and can be downloaded from the Strangerhood Archive. If you want to see the guys behind all this, you'll have to watch the Fuse cable channel on Monday. For more information about that, see their news post.

Screens and Artwork

Written at 14:38 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The Superbowl is this weekend, and as many of you might know Sims in University are able to hold sports parties. The Swedish site has posted 3 screenshots showing Sims watching the big game. Besides that there are two others, one with a secret society and another with the "Resurrectonomitron," (see the previous chat) the object that you can bring passed Sims back to life with. Finally the Japanese EA has posted a small artwork of a Sim behind an arcade machine on their TS2U info page. Thanks to James Magenta for the tip. You can see all the screenshots below, and click the thumbnails to see the large versions. The artwork is in the full size as it was posted already.

Hacks and University

Written at 22:41 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The modding community of the Sims 2 is working hard to give fans custom content including careers and objects. However, when the first expansion pack - University - will be released, several technical things will change. These changes should make things more stable when custom hacks are used. However, a side-effect is that careers and recoloured objects made so far might not work anymore or are more likely to cause conflicts. Although there is no solution to make careers work as of yet, there is a solution for custom objects (recolours and new meshes).

The fix for objects is made available in SimPE 0.15. A tutorial for fixing existing objects has also been made, and should help object makers to fix their current downloads. If you don't make downloads, you normally shouldn't have to worry about this, though you might have to redownload some files. Thanks to our affiliate SimsZone for the information.

Monday 7 February 2005

The Red Matrix Bedroom

Written at 22:20 by Sumit - 0 comments.

Now in red...the matrix bedrooms continue to gain more colors and momentum. Download this with much glee and delight, this one will bring sims in ultimate happiness. This is a bedroom, thus includes the bedsheets, wallpaper, and flooring. I hadn't made curtains, but if anyone wants some, they shall come.



One more color to come...soon!

*URGENT UPDATE* All The Sims 2 Objects have just been updated for the University Expansion Pack. This includes this current Red Matrix Bedroom. If you see this message, please redownload all objects. If you have not downloaded the Red Matrix Bedroom as of yet, the current one is of updated strength. If you are unsure of any of this confusion, just redownload ALL SIMS 2 OBJECTS anyways...to be safe. There are only 9 objects, as of yet, on my part..so its not too bad. :)

Any other objects of mine that come after this post, will already be University ready.

Tuesday 8 February 2005

Cheap Matrix Living and Reminder

Written at 05:20 by Sumit - 0 comments.

Once we celebrated the nice luxury side of the Leaf Matrix Living, but now lets get a bit cheaper. Who says cheap sofas have to be ugly? Now we have a true wonder.

*URGENT REMINDER*
Once more I remind ya'll who have downloaded my Sims 2 objects, you must redownload them in order to get a version that will be compatible with the University Expansion Pack. All objects before this Leaf Matrix Cheap Living set must be redownloaded and replaced. If you are unsure of any file of whether it is new or old, be safe and redownload. As Cheetah posted earlier, same suit should follow on other websites which have objects from The Sims 2.

Will Wright Interviewed

Written at 15:12 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The official German site has recently had the opportunity to speak to Will Wright, Creator of the Sims, about The Sims 2 University. The interview does bring some new info including the news that Maxis is working on two expansion packs simultaneously. That's because creating an expansion pack for TS2 is up to 5 times more complex than it was for the Sims 1. Will has also noticed the community is technically a lot stronger than with the previous game, and modding tools have been released very quickly after the release. People also use the advanced features of the movie making tool more, and so come up with new creations. A new feature like the customisable neighborhoods take longer to be used by the community, so it seems.

In his spare time, Wright still plays the game a few times a week, but he also surfs around on the many fansites of the game, checking out new stuff people have created. When playing he's usually experimenting, watching what happens to Sims in certain situations, and building homes (and other things, including submarines) is also something he does a lot. Will also likes to tell stories with the game. You can find a few of his stories on the Sims 1 exchange... Read More!

Sims 5 Years - Some Highlights

Written at 15:21 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

We already reported that the Sims was 5 years old already this week. EA has issued a press release with the same information, including some highlights of 5 year Sims. The franchise has sold over 54 million units in total, which includes the Sims 1 and its seven expansions, the console games and the Sims 2. The last one has, in about 5 months, already been sold more than 4.5 million times. 16 Million copies of the original game, the Sims 1, were sold over the past 5 years, which makes it the best sold PC game in North America, and the Sims 2 was the best selling PC game there in 2004 according to the NPD group. The sequel has already received 20 editor's choice awards, perfect review scores and over 35 magazine covers worldwide. The exchange is a success too, with over 125,000 Sims and houses created and uploaded, which have been downloaded by 5 million unique visitors. Besides that there have been 4,000 movies already since the launch of the game in September. Wright's entrance in the AIAS Hall of Fame early 2002. But that's not all Wright has achieved since the Sims:

"Wright has also been included in Entertainment Weekly's 'It List' of 'the 100 most creative people in entertainment,' Time Digital's 'Digital 50,' a listing of 'the most important people shaping technology today.' In 2002, he was listed as number 35 on Entertainment Weekly's Power List and in 2003 was featured in Game Informer's 'Top 10 Developer List of 2003.'"

For more details, check out the press release.

University Info and Artwork

Written at 15:47 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Some new information, as well as an artwork about the Sims 2 University has appeared on two fansites. The first, Simy.pl, has released a new artwork of a Sim behind a drum set. You can see it below - click the thumbnail to see a larger version. The new information comes from Snooty Sims. They've translated a french article that reveals some new things. The information is mostly old, but finally all the majors your Sims can follow at University are revealed: Psychology, Theatre, Art, Philosophy, Biology, Economy, Literature, Mathematics, History, Physics and Politics. It's also said that students can switch major until the last semester (of the fourth year). Instead they can change their aspiration track. The universities that ship with the game also got names: "LaTour Academy", "Faculty Fiesta" and "the National University of SimState" (these names are translated from the French article, and may be different in the actual version of the game). Of course you can create your own campuses from scratch as well. The information comes from a feature list on the official French site.

Wednesday 9 February 2005

Back Again!

Written at 02:25 by Bettyjoe - 1 comment.

Well, after an extended absence I am back. I hope you will start downloading and enjoying the content that you will see from me. I have always strived to bring quality content to the game and hope that the new classic victorian walls are no exception. Please visit my files section. Download my newest files and make sure to grab some of the oldies too. I hope you enjoy what you see, and I'm looking forward to sending you lots of new files for use with both the original sims and their expansions, as well as the sims 2.

Indigo at Last

Written at 22:19 by Sumit - 2 comments.

Now in indigo...the matrix bedrooms continue to gain more colors and momentum. Download this with much glee and delight, this one will bring sims in ultimate happiness. This is a bedroom, thus includes the bedsheets, wallpaper, and flooring. I hadn't made curtains, but if anyone wants some, they shall come.

Thursday 10 February 2005

New Poll

Written at 01:32 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

As normal, there's a new poll up this week. This time we'd like to know what you think of the Maxoids, the people who brought you the Sims and SimCity. If you've got an opinion about them, vote on the right or the latest poll page.

Last week the poll was all about e-mail, and now the results are in we can confirm most e-mails sent by Sims are about "their crushes and romances, careers, and all the things that happen to them." That option was chosen for by 36 of the 128 voters (28.4%). A lot of them (22%) don't email though. Spam is a plague in SimCity too, with 15% of the e-mails being nothing but junk, and 11% tells others about how repetative life is getting. 10.2% Writes about their dreams, followed by nothing but spaces at 9.5%. Only 4% mails about a video game, that's all about being the mayor of a virtual city. See the result page for details.

Official Valentine's Clothes

Written at 21:40 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Next Monday is Valentine's day, and EA has made a few clothes available on the official Italian site. The pack consists of seven Sims with new clothes for both male and female Sims. You can see the two preview images on the Italian newspost, through which you can also find the download page. If you prefer an English version of the download page, you can go there and download the pack for about 1.5 Mb of disk space. You need WinZip or a similar tool to extract the file, then you can install the extracted files by double-clicking them and following the installer.

Will Wright Interview

Written at 22:44 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Spanish site MeriStation has posted an interview with Will Wright. In the interview he talks about why he's at a presentation of the Nintendo DS. That was first and foremost to promote the Urbz on the DS, but also to hold a lecture about Will's vision on the evolution of games. Wright's been in the industry since he created Raid on Bungeling Bay in 1985, and he's seen games develop and improve over the years. The DS is a jump forward again with the new features, and Will hopes that the platform will give videogames more variety that's necessary in the industry. The platform should attract both adults and youngsters, as it's easily accessible. Even people who aren't usually able to enter the complex world of videogames but are more easily hooked to games like Snake or Solitaire are able to use the DS and play games on it. Wright also comments on Nintendo that it has the capacity to innovate, and that they are very eager to create something different. But there's a lot more he has to say... Read More!

SimDay: Valentine's on its way

Written at 22:58 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

It's SimDay again, and Maxis comes with several new things. The first are four romantic screenshots, all for Valentine's day. You can see those below or on the screenshots section on the official site. There's also an old video of the Sims 2 University, in which you see some students play some pool. If you haven't seen it yet or want to see it again, head over to the official video page. And finally there's another interview, this time with Tim LeTourneau on 1UP.com. Although most of the information is old, a few new things are mentioned. For example some specific new wants and fears:

"Well there are many tied to the new objects and interactions in the game. They also have wants related to academics, like 'Write Term Paper,' or 'Make Dean's List.'"

Tim also answers no a few specific items and features that 1Up would like to see in the game, including Scarface posters, Grateful Dead or Phising T-Shirts, student protests or bringing laundry home to parents. Read the complete interview for the exact details.

New University Trailer

Written at 23:04 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The Sims 2 University is less than a month away, and you've already seen some screenshots this SimDay. But there's more: GameSpot has posted a new video, that shows off the band objects in the game. You can check out a band doing good and one doing bad. If you want to see that, and how some instruments magically change colours, then head over to the media page at GameSpot to stream the video, or download it if you have a GameSpot Complete account. A free GameSpot Basic account is required to view (stream) the video.

More University Screenshots

Written at 23:08 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

GameSpy has already posted part 1 of a Sims' letters home from University in January. As they are preparing part two of that series, four new screenshots of the expansion pack have been posted. Remarkable on them is that, behind the GameSpy logo, there's a slightly different Sims 2 University watermark than on previous screenshots. Of course we'll let you know when the letters have been posted, but for now you can enjoy the screenshots below.

Friday 11 February 2005

More Letters Home

Written at 00:40 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

As mentioned a few hours ago, GameSpy was working on the second batch of letters home from University. New information can be extracted from the letters. For example, that when you successfully pass a year, you won't get much of a ceremony, but merely a text pop-up message. You will also get some extra money when succeeding. The amount depends on the grades your Sim got.

When your Sim is in a sorority, that'll take quite a bit of time. Making new friends constantly is required to stay popular and to "attract fresh meat." The sprinkler prank that has been mentioned several times in the past is also elaborated on a bit: you can set off sprinklers by - of course - holding a lighter near them. Another prank is also mentioned: pour some soap in the campus fountain.

Besides jobs your Sims can take, Sims can also get extra tips by standing on the street corner and just rapping. But if you'd rather get a proper job, just walk to the counter of for example the coffee place, take on the uniform, and show up at work whenever you like. Contrary to earlier information, the new letters say that you have to decide which major you choose after the sophomore (the second) year. Until then you can pick any major you like at any time. Classes during the majors also have specific named subjects so it seems. For example the Political Science major, which requires training of charisma, creativity, and body skills, consists of subjects like "Protestors: When to Oppress," "Patriotism: Why Every Country is Worse than Yours," and "Lab: Make Your Own Monarchy." The Philosophy major includes "Who Controls the Pie Menu and Why?"

Finally a Career Councellor is mentioned, but it's not clear if that will be a feature of the pack or not. Read all the letters for the exact details.

Saturday 12 February 2005

Official Site Nominated

Written at 00:07 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The game itself has already won several awards, including several Game of the Year ones. It's a great success with over 4.5 million copies sold in just 5 months' time, but the website has never really won anything. That might change though, as the official website of the Sims 2, TheSims2.ea.com, has been nominated for the SXSW 2005 Web Awards. Nominees for these awards are all websites that launched or were redesigned in the past year. The Sims 2 is nominated in the Community/Wiki category, thanks to the huge amount of members on the exchange, helping the site to get some content. Other nominees in the same category are Digital Web Magazine, Dogster, Spiceplay and SuperBorrowNet. Besides the Judges' choice, there's also a People's Choice award where you can cast your vote for your favourite site until 1 March 2005. The awards ceremony will be held 13 March.

Sunday 13 February 2005

TS2U Article and Screens

Written at 00:52 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The Sims 2 University is getting more attention from the press every day. This time IGN takes its turn and tells about Jimmy Jr., who goes to college. The complete story will unfold over the next few weeks, but for now IGN already tells the game is full of personality, with new animations and gadgets. Along with the article, three new screenshots were posted. Those three can be spotted below, but you can also head over to the preview to find out more.

Another Nomination for Sims 2

Written at 20:48 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The Sims has already received many prizes and awards, and so has its sequel the Sims 2. And after the SXSW nomination, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, famous for their British Film awards) has nominated the Sims 2 as best PC game. Other nominations in that category include Doom 3, FarCry, Half-Life 2, Myst IV Revelation and Rome: Total War. The second BAFTA Game Awards will be held at the Café Royal in London at 1 March. You can find more information regarding the awards on the Games Awards page.

Tuesday 15 February 2005

New University Screens and Artworks

Written at 00:35 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Today is Valentine's day, and several official (European) sites have posted e-cards in Valentine-style online. Other than that, the Dutch site has also posted a Sims 2 screensaver (click the "Nu Downloaden" next to the screensaver image to download it). This screensaver updates itself with new screenshots of the game, and currently it's loaded with University screenshots. Of course they are romantic screenshots on Valentine's day. You can see them below.

Besides that, the screensaver comes with something extra to promote University: a small shockwave movie which shows some artworks. Those show what different students will be doing during their time at university. In order of the images as posted below, they say "Hanging on the phone with my friends all day long," "Playing Rock&Roll until I have blisters on my fingers," "Studying, and winning the Nobel Prize eventually," "Partying 'til I drop," "Discovering my own style," and "Uhhhhh..." The final artwork says Sims will be on campus from 10 March, and you decide what they do. Thanks to SimParool for the find. Click the thumbnails below to see large versions.

New Valentine's Object

Written at 00:39 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Maxis has released a new object this Valentine's day: the "Cupid Commando's Action Cherub! Statue." The object is a statue that's ready to spread love:

"The world's premier lovelorn paramilitary artists-collective, The Cupid Commandos, have made it easy to announce your romantic intentions to the world in the most public way possible with this love-ly cut-marble statue featuring the world's most renowned bow-wielding butterball, Cupid, the God of Love. Eternally poised and ready for some amorous archery, Action Cherub! makes for an ideal addition to homes, parks, and lawns of all shapes and sizes, it's sure to win a coveted spot in your heart!"

You can download the statue from the exchange for about 0.15 Mb.

The Sims 2 Review - The Sequel Landed Ages Ago - Lots in the Community

Written at 19:25 by Andy - 1 comment.

Lots in the Community is the latest section of our neverending review of The Sims 2 Can you buy groceries? Can you get a new outfit? Can you get something to eat? It's all in here!

Read More!

T-Mail 5: Love from Maxis

Written at 20:53 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Tim LeTourneau has sent his fifth mail last night, and as you may expect it's all in Valentine's day style. Tim mentions the new possibility the Sims 2 University will bring regarding love. Teenage Sims, even townies, can now be sent to University, so they too can get engaged and married eventually. Townies will become playable that way, as after graduating they will become available in the Family bin. Included are three screenshots. Two of them we've shown yesterday, though today they come in a slightly larger version. You can see all three of them by clicking the thumbnails.

Read More!

Wednesday 16 February 2005

Developer Interview

Written at 21:36 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Games site IGN has posted a developer interview of 8 minutes, in which Tim LeTourneau, Senior producer of the Sims 2 University, shows the first expansion. Although there's no new information in it - everything has been told before already - it does show elements of the game that haven't been seen before. You can see the campus, a party, the career rewards in action, dorms, and a lot more. To view (or download) the video, head over to IGN's media page, and look for the Developer Commentary video.

Thursday 17 February 2005

New Poll

Written at 01:00 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

A new week, a new poll. Last week we discussed Maxoids, the people who brought you the Sims and more, but as it turns out many people don't know that term. Well over 40% answered "Who?!" when they were asked what Maxoids generally are. Other options following that score were "Insane in the Brain," "Geeks," "Too nice to this world," and "Playing Games." If you want to see the exact results of this poll, head over to the results page.

This week we want to know what your favourite new career reward object will be - that is, one that comes with the Sims 2 University. You can find the four options, plus one if you don't care, on the right, where you can vote. You can also go to the latest poll page to cast your vote.

Friday 18 February 2005

SimDay

Written at 03:24 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

This week's SimDay brings both old and new things. The old things are IGN's review and developer interview. The trailer with two bands competing against each other has also been posted on the official site now, under the videos section. If you haven't seen it yet, you can go there to download it.

New is that KillerSims is celebrating its fifth birthday this month. To celebrate this event, they are having a competition with which you can win the Sims 2 University, the first expansion pack of the Sims 2. It's a Fan-Salute contest as they've held before. You can find all the details about it at KillerSims. Finally there are also three new wallpapers in University-style. If you want to see those three - or you want to download them - head over to the Wallpapers page.

The Sims 2 Review - The Sequel Is Upwardly Mobile - All Grown Up

Written at 03:52 by Andy - 0 comments.

All Grown Up is the latest section of our ongoing review of The Sims 2 We're catching up with the Joneses and follow Anne & Doug during the adult stages of their lives and look at the purpose of an adult life. It's all in here!

Saturday 19 February 2005

Expansion update + a house

Written at 00:58 by Starrats - 1 comment.

Well I finally updated my objects for the University EP, so you have to download the objects again, the new file will replace the old file.

Last week I bought sim city 4 (finally) and I'm going to make some neighborhood terrains for the sims 2 with it, and they will be placed on this site.

I also uploaded my first house today and I hope you all like it.

Well that is it for now, enjoy.

Greetz Starrats

Designer Diary #3 - University gone Gold

Written at 06:34 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

GameSpot has posted a third edition of the Sims 2 University designer diary. In it, Designer Hunter Howe talks about the final process of making the expansion. He says there are some imperfections in the game, and not all features initially planned worked out too well. Also the birth of the sprinklers is mentioned: in dorms fire would start in the kitchen, causing "absolute death." Tuning is also a major part of the developing process, making sure that everything's working well and is fun to play. Finally it's bug-hunting that's going on. A lot of bugs are made during the creation of the pack, and eliminating them all is important to get the game right in the end.

The big news though is that the pack seems to have gone gold, even though that hasn't been officially announced yet. For more details, check out the complete designer diary. The three screenshots below were included in the diary as well.

Screenshots and Artwork

Written at 06:39 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The Sims 2 University has gone gold and soon it can be in your hands. But still, a new artwork and screenshots are being released. The artwork is from the official French site, whereas the screenshots are from a review copy that the Czech SimsZone Czech got. Click the thumbnails below to enlarge them.

The Grey Phone

Written at 17:12 by Sumit - 1 comment.

Maxis is sadly very peculiar when it comes to creativity for such an essential item as the phone. But worry no more, this phone comes in grey or should I say gray. :)

The best thing about it, is that it adds a color option to your phone. PLUS you can change the handset seperately.

Sunday 20 February 2005

SIMposium

Written at 10:04 by ChEeTaH - 3 comments.

Those of you who remember the Sims 2 University event held in November 2003 might be excited to know that Maxis has held another event like that this weekend. The Sims VIP SIMposium (sponsored by nVidia) at EA Redwood Shores (Redwood City, California, near San Francisco) was a big source for new information about the first expansion pack for the Sims 2, but it was also a great opportunity for key community members - that includes fansite webmasters and modders - to give input to Maxis, and tell them what you, the fans, want in the game in future expansion packs. We even got an exclusive interview with Will Wright, that will be posted on this site in the near future. Check this site in a few days for the start of a series of articles with information regarding the Sims 2 and University, as well as a lot of other interesing things.

Letters Home part 3

Written at 18:41 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Website GameSpy has posted more letters home from a Sim student. The female student is now in her third year at University, and has joined a sorority - and a secret society. Odd things are going on and letters are arriving at GameSpy in strange envelopes. The letters again give you an insight on the next expansion pack, and they mention the several new reward objects, and the way you're dragged into a secret society. To get a sneak peek yourself, read the letters. Enjoy the new screenshot below as well.

Tuesday 22 February 2005

A Rug Object!

Written at 01:29 by Sumit - 0 comments.

This is my first rug. I have been trying it out so it might not be perfect. Objects do sink in a bit when placed on top of it. Thanks to Echo for creating the base carpets.

Watch out for some new carpets soon! Soon, as in "in a while" since carpets are sortta funky with a bit of sinking in. So something else will come up next. If all goes well heres a hint: Gogh, Mattise, Rici, Durer

UPDATE: After many tries, I will leave this rug as a recolor and include Echo's original rug. Later on this will be an individual rug. You will need both rugs, when in The Sims, you will find this rug under Echo's rug.

Scoop Screens

Written at 23:30 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

As every month, Maxis sends out a scoop newsletter to Sims fans who registered. This month's edition contains two screenshots. The scenes may be familiar, but if you want to see them nevertheless click the thumbnails below. You can find older scoop screenshots on the Scoop page.

Development of the Sims

Written at 23:43 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

A new article that looks back on the development of the Sims franchise has been published at Digit Online last friday. Several team members are quoted, including Tim LeTourneau, Matt Gross, Hunter Howe and Brian Deppiesse. They look back on the time they became Maxoids, and how only a few people know how to use Edith, the tool that makes all things in the Sims alive:

"Edith is not very different from other scripting tools, but has been designed for The Sims and allows programmers to work very quickly, LeTourneau said. "It has been one of the linchpins in our ability to quickly add to The Sims world. There is no way we could have made all the extension packs on The Sims in the time we did without Edith.""

To read the entire feature, follow this link.

Stratics interviews Maxis Sahara

Written at 23:52 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Maxis Sahara has recently become the TSO Customer Representative. She is in charge of the revived monthly newsletter that comes out for the Sims Online. If you want to know what music this Maxoid listens to in her car, what her exact job is and which city is her favourite (in the game), then read the interview.

Wednesday 23 February 2005

Sims 1 Expansion Pack Collections

Written at 00:49 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Even though the sequel is out already, and the Sims 1 community is getting less active, many people still play the previous game. EA is releasing three Expansion Pack Collections in March, according to GameSpot. That site site has added game descriptions for three Expansion Pack Collections of the Sims 1, to be released 15 March. Pack 1 gives you House Party and Unleashed, to throw parties and get pets in the game. Collection 2 has Hot Date and Makin' Magic, which give you Downtown and Magic Town. Finally, Volume 3 contains Vacation and Superstar so your new Celebrities can take a Vacation as well. The only expansion pack not in one of these is Livin' Large, which comes with the Sims Deluxe. The packs cost $19.99 each, and it's unsure if they're released in Europe as well. Thanks to James Magenta for the information.

SIMPosium Special - University Preview

Written at 21:30 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The first part of the Sims 2 VIP SIMposium special has been posted. It's the first part of a preview of University, in which a lot of new information about this first expansion pack is given. This first part discusses the campus and its buildings, as well as some basic gameplay features in the new game. So if you're looking for the latest info, head on over to the SIMPosium Special.

University Strategy Guide Information

Written at 22:52 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Prima has made the official strategy guides for the Sims 1 series and for the Sims 2, as well as other EA games. Of course the Sims 2 University Expansion pack is no exception, and Prima has put together a comprehensive strategy guide for that as well. The book has 464 pages in colour, explaining how to:

"Crash parties, get initiated into a secret society, hack your grades, and graduate with honors" "Keep your Sims' grades on track in all 11 majors" "Secure your final degree and open up 4 new career paths" "Details on the all-new young adult age, Influence, and lifetime wants" "Charts and tables covering objects and socials" "Tours of all colleges and their student bodies"

Besides that, the original strategy guide for the Sims 2 has been included as well. These details have been posted on the info page at Prima's site. There is a special UK version available soon, but the only difference is the cover and the ISBN-number.

Of course you can pre-order the book from our shop, through which you'll also support The Sims Zone.

Jimmy Jr. Goes to College

Written at 23:18 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

In a Sims 2 feature last summer, IGN talked about Jimmy, a Sim in Strangetown who was right at home there. They are now continuing that story with Jimmy Jr., Jimmy's son who is ready to head off to University. The preview doesn't reveal much new information, but does have a lot of screenshots - 40 in total! IGN will be writing more articles about Jimmy in the next few days, but so far only Part 1 has been posted. If you want to know more about this student, streaker and basically odd creature, check out "SimJim: The College Years, part 1."

Legal Battle over Hacks

Written at 23:31 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The WallStreet Journal has posted an article which describes the events that happened to NinjaHacker.net. The site has been sued by the Japanese gaming company Tecmo Inc., for copyright violations and other things. This happened due to the website posting nude skins and other modifications for the Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball game on X-Box. In the article (former) "manager of online services for Maxis" Caryl Shaw (she has been transferred to another project since last Monday, still within Maxis) talks about Sims fans making mods for the Sims. While the EA tries to prevent hosting nude skins nor do they try to link to sites with such content, they also do not "pass moral judgments upon our users." Two sims fans creating nude skins for the Sims 2 themselves are quoted as well. Read the article for the things they and others have to say about the situation.

Thursday 24 February 2005

New Poll

Written at 01:10 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Thursday has begun again, and as usual it does with a new poll on TSZ. This week we want to know what mobile device your Sims will be using the most once the Sims 2 University is out. Let us know on the right, or on the latest poll page.

Last week we asked you about the new Career reward objects for the Sims 2 University. Winner was the camera with 50 votes (30.9% of 162 votes), closely followed by the runner-up Home Plastic Surgery Kit (49 votes). 23 of the 162 People won't be getting the Sims 2 University, and 22 people (13.6%) thinks the Resurrectonomitron is the best. The cow-plant scores the lowest with 11.1%, or 18 votes. The exact results can as always be seen in our poll archive.

SIMposium - New Graphics

Written at 17:45 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

On the SIMposium the visitors were given a CD with a renewed fansite kit. This kit contains a lot of screenshots and artworks, as well as old movies. While there are a lot of old materials on there, some items are new. And some even seem old, but are actually an old scene, taken from a (slightly) different angle than previous screenshots. The artworks may also look familiar if you've visited the official site recently. One was posted on a wallpaper, and another one is now set as intro on the site. The artwork however shows the actual streaker instead of a Sim wearing a toga. The last one is quite the same as one of the first artworks, but it has one Sim less on it. Besides that, Maxis has also released three buddy icons in the University theme. Of course we cannot keep these graphics from you, so click the thumbnails below to see the screenshots and artworks (note: these might be too big to fit on your screen!). To use the buddy icons, simply right-click them, and save the images to your hard disk - they are posted here in their original sizes.

Jimmy Jr. at College, Part 2

Written at 18:00 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

As promised yesterday, IGN has posted part 2 of their story of Jimmy Jr. heading off to college. This second part tells about Jimmy's sophomore year, in which his friends Chuck, Marie and Delilah entered University as well. As you might expect, Jimmy isn't too normal and ends up sleeping on the floor outside his house, after a lack of sleep and caffeine. An empty stomach and full bladder get taken care of afterwards. The article has been posted with 44 new screenshots. To get the details of Jimmy Jr's crazy life at Uni, check out the second part of the feature.

SimDay: New Neighborhood Template

Written at 23:44 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

As often on Thursdays, Maxis updates the official site with several new things. First of all there's a new introduction to advertise the Sims 2 University. Hold your mouse over the Sims there, and you'll see what they're thinking. The navigation bar has also undergone a few changes: links are now underlined when you hold your mouse over them, and the icon your mouse is on no longer moves around when the menu opens op.

When it comes to the actual news items, the first (and second) is about the designer diary that reported the Sims 2 University has gone gold. Really new is the Ying-Yang Island, a SimCity 4 terrain you can use to create a neighbourhood in the Sims 2 with. Extract the zip-file to your "My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\SC4Terrains" folder and then create a new neighbourhood in the game to select the terrain. You can find the 235Kb download on the Get Cool Stuff page.

Friday 25 February 2005

Invasion of Carpets

Written at 01:47 by Sumit - 0 comments.

RECALL:
Please redownload the Poka Blue Carpet for the newest version 1.1. Provided by changes by Echo, there are some minor bug fixes. As an added bonus, this carpet comes in a pair of two. All files required is in this one download.

I know I said no more rugs, but these will be the last for a while. These new rugs include the same Echo rugs found in Poka Blue v1.1. If you already have Echo rug files from that carpet, there is no reason to overwrite them on top of each other. You just need one pair of Echo's files. Also after many pics later, I found that the pics I took are in very bad quality and small. I hope that is not a big problem. Also another problem in the pictures I took is that the smaller rug looks lighter than the bigger rug. I assure you that was just the retexture tool from The Sims 2 which was highlighting the object...oops. That should be all, enjoy these rugs.

Saturday 26 February 2005

SIMposium Special - Preview Part 2

Written at 00:13 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

After our first part was posted a few days ago, we have now finished the preview of the Sims 2 University. The second part covers things like getting your grades, the new careers, influence, lifetime wants, and a lot more. You can find a lot of new information in the preview regarding the expansion pack that will be out next week in the US, and in Europe a week later. We will continue the special coverage again in a few days. Also remember we've had the opportunity to interview Will Wright, so come back here soon for that interview as well! For now, go to our SIMPosium Special to read the complete preview.

Sunday 27 February 2005

Indystar Interviews Wright

Written at 02:39 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

News site IndyStar, an online version of the Indianapolis Star, has posted an interview with Will Wright. The interview, held by the Associated Press, discusses Will's interest in simulations and his expectations of the gaming community in the next 15 years. The interview itself isn't too long, but if you want to know more about the man behind the Sims, reading it might help.

University Screenshots and TV Commercial

Written at 03:08 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Two official sites have posted several new screenshots this weekend. The first six come from the American site, while the other four are from the German one. New on the shots are some arcade games, which haven't been showed before. You can also see a prank in action: putting soap in the fountain. Other than that, you can see the band and gym objects again. Click the thumbnails below to see the large versions.

Besides the screenshots, the Maxis has also published the TV commercial for the first expansion pack as download. It's in a similar style as the commercial for the Sims 2 itself, and probably the last one for the Sims made by SEE (read earlier news). You can find the download, QuickTime required, on the University Videos page.

University (P)reviews

Written at 03:42 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

A few articles of the Sims 2 University have been written. They include three articles from series, as well as the first review. Read on for the details. Read More!

GameSpy Interviews Will Wright

Written at 15:07 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

After IndyStar and many others, GameSpy has now also interviewed Will Wright. He talks a lot about the past 5 years the Sims has existed now, and the time before that. How Will started the initial development, how the team grew, and how he had to make Maxis, his own company, enthousiastic about the game (contrary to EA as earlier stories tell):

"Fargo: Now I understand it took you a long time to find a publisher at first? ...no?

"Wright: For SimCity it did. For The Sims, I'd started Maxis and I was basically trying to get people inside of Maxis enthused about the idea and that's where the battle was. Those people wanted to keep doing SimCity, and they didn't think The Sims made sense. So I was fighting just the internal structure of Maxis... which is the company I'd started!"

Besides that, the creation of the community, pushed by Luc Barthelet, General Manager of Maxis at the time, and a lot of other things about the development for the first game are being discussed. This is only part 1 of the interview, the second part will be posted on Monday. For now, read the first four pages for details.

Expansion 2: Nightlife? [Update]

Written at 15:27 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Dutch site SP Zone has found a thread on N99, a limited forum, that the next expansion pack for the Sims 2 would be called Nightlife. The information comes from the jewelcase in the Sims 2 University, that has shipped and the first people have received already:

"Send your Sims out for a night on the town in the Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack. Will they stay out late on a romantic dinner date or dance 'til dawn at a nightclub? Find out what else night has to offer starting Fall 2005!"

An image, as seen below, has been posted on forums by several users. On this page at the TSR forums Steve Bonham has said that it was made clear at the SIMposium, that the second expansion would be announced this week. Unclear is if the information at Add-ons.de is correct. That site claims the second expansion pack will have pets in it, but there's no confirmation about it. There is another thread as well, at ModTheSims2, that also talks about Nightlife. In these threads, features like restaurants and the fangs of the woman on the picture are discussed.

EA has also registered TheSims2Nightlife.com, and although it doesn't work yet it's another pointer that it might be true. It's unsure if the expansion pack will indeed be Nightlife or not, but of course we'll keep you updated with any new information. With thanks to Pyrobon at the MTS2 Forum for the picture below (click to see a large version).

[Update: 28 February 21:40] EA Europe has requested us to take offline the posted image of the supposed new expansion from this site. They has no further comments on the news, though by now rumours on several (mentioned) forums are growing stronger as University has been released by several shops in the US and the jewel case insert has probably been seen by many people by now. We'll keep you updated on the matter.

University Info and Cheats from Guide

Written at 15:57 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The Prima guide for the first expansion pack of the Sims 2 has shipped to several people already, and some of them are posting a lot of information from the guide. In one big thread on the official BBS tifferoo004 has posted a lot of information from the guide. Included is information about the new careers and rewards, the influence system, changes to the aspiration system, zombies, and a lot more. On the official German site an excerpt of the guide is available for download. They've posted chapter 3 of the guide, in Acrobat format. That part is in German though. Finally, SnootySims has published two cheats from the guide, which allow you to edit and create dorms:

boolProp dormSpecificToolsDisabled [true/false] allows you to set if building tools are disabled (true) or not (false). Set it to false to allow changing of dorms

changeLotZoning dorm changes the loaded lot into a dorm. This allows you to create a residential home from scratch and turn it into dorms.

If you want to get the guide with all the information yourself, check out our shop to order it.

 

Tuesday 1 March 2005

University Reviews

Written at 00:37 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

More reviews of University have popped up the past few days. The first is from GameSpot. They grade the expansion a 7.9 out of 10. In three pages and some screenshots they give their opinion. The main downside: there are some stability problems. You can read the review, or actually watch a video review as well as some new gameplay movies of the pack. Those can be found through the media page. Besides that review, there is a slightly older preview at Yahoo! Gamesdomain. That one doesn't really bring any new info, but if you want you can of course still read it.

Wright Interview Part 2

Written at 00:47 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

After posting part 1 of an interview with Will Wright, GameSpy has now posted the second part of the interview as well. This time, Will talks a bit more about the community and legal issues, expansion packs, the Sims Online and his secret project, with the rumoured name SPORE. You can read the rest of the interview starting at page 5 of the article.

University Chat

Written at 00:49 by ChEeTaH - 2 comments.

This Thursday Maxis will be holding a chat about the Sims 2 University. Team members Charles London, Hunter Howe, and Thomas Vu will be talking to fans and answer their questions regarding the first expansion pack. As usual, the chat will start at 3pm PST (11pm GMT or midnight CET). You can enter through the chat page once the room opens, minutes before the start of the chat itself. After the event the transcript can be found on the same page.

EA Officially Ships University

Written at 00:53 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

EA has officially announced they've shipped the first expansion for the Sims 2: University. Although the release was officially set at 3 March, there are already many people who have received the pack a few days early. The European release date is set to late next week, and so Europeans should start receiving the expansion pack as well pretty soon. Read the press release for more.