Sunday 4 March 2007

Brunswick Dining Room Set

Written at 03:48 by MissWendy - 0 comments.

An ideal dining room set for your sims to enjoy. The table seats 6 comfortably and is made of the best wood and glass around. The chairs are so comfortable your sims won't want to get up after a meal. The hutch is the perfect place to show off your glassware treasures. The set comes complete in 4 wood shades to meet all your needs.

Click here if you'd like to see this set and also more of my creations. I hope you like them.

Monday 5 March 2007

The Sims 2 Seasons : Heatwave or Clouded Over? - Part 1

Written at 05:32 by Andy - 0 comments.

Whether you're wrapping up warm or hunting out your best sun hat, after almost three years, The Sims 2 finally have weather.

In the first part of our in-depth review, we look at how the game loads up, find out about a new neighborhood and find out what is new in the neighborhoods.

You can find it right here!

Tuesday 6 March 2007

Bedroom Set

Written at 04:17 by Jendea - 0 comments.

New bedroom set posted - cheap, low poly and ok to package. :)
Check the set out by clicking on the picture or you can find it in my section under jendea

Friday 9 March 2007

The Sims 2 Seasons : Heatwave or Clouded Over? - Part 2

Written at 00:36 by Andy - 0 comments.

In the second part of our review of Seasons, we look at the new options available in creating a sim.

We look at new hairstyles, new things you can do with hair and also at the new clothes that make your sims more seasonal.

Read the latest installment right here or go here to start from the beginning!

Saturday 10 March 2007

The Sims 2 Seasons : Heatwave or Clouded Over? - Part 3

Written at 02:15 by Andy - 0 comments.

In this third part of our review of Seasons, we follow Jonah & Simone Midwinter over their first few days in their new home in Riverblossom Hills.

As well as seeing how things are different in gameplay from before there were seasonal effects, we also overview gardening, fishing, weather forecasting and have our first encounter with the mysterious Garden Club.

Read the latest installment right here or go here to start from the beginning!

Sunday 11 March 2007

We Like White 2 Underway

Written at 05:49 by Jendea - 0 comments.

Several years ago I did a series of Sims1 Houses for the "We Like White" theme on Jendea Simitecture. Recently I ran into someone who was familiar with them and asked if I was planning to do a Sims2 sequel. So...without further ado, here is the first installment of We Like White 2 Houses.

For those not familiar with the first set, the concept is to leave the decorating up to the downloader. The packages are simple, no shopping lists or huge package files to worry about cleaning up. The houses are devoid of practically all decor or color, in fact, the same basic walls and floors are used. I have occasionally put in some basic Maxis furnishing if I felt the areas were vague in intent. My hope is that the lots are interesting enough to use as is, but spark the decorator in you!
Hope you have fun with these.

You can find these 5 WLW lots and the Build Pack under my section:jendea.

Thursday 15 March 2007

The Sims 2 Seasons: Heatwave or Clouded Over? - Part 4

Written at 16:51 by Andy - 0 comments.

In this fourth part of our review of Seasons, we look at Winter. We look in some detail at winter activities, ice skating, how to enjoy being in the snow and how to avoid turning into an ice statue.

We also meet this quirky little character, find out what attracts them to a lot and also see how the weather can affect the garden.

Read the latest installment right here! or go here to start from the beginning!

Sunday 18 March 2007

The Sims 2 Seasons: Heatwave or Clouded Over? - Part 5

Written at 02:53 by Andy - 0 comments.

In this fifth part of our review of Seasons, Spring is in the air. We look at how the Viejo household in Riverblossom Hills are making the most of this time of year, both indoors and outside. We look at the weather, we look at the garden and we look at how romance could be in bloom.

Read the latest installment right here! or go here to start from the beginning!

Tuesday 20 March 2007

Seasons Released (Press Release and Screens)

Written at 20:00 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Due to circumstances the news has been a bit out of date, but we're catching up again. First of all: seasons shipped three weeks ago, and to mark the moment EA issued a press release. The article mentions the key features of the expansion pack once again, from the changing weather and gardening to the seasonal impacts and potions. Not a must-read, but it does tell that Seasons will increase the number of 85 million Sims units (including the Sims 1 and individual expansion packs) sold worldwide so far. Read the whole press release for details. Additionally EA has released seven more official screenshots of the pack which you can see below.

Chat Transcript UK

Written at 20:00 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

About three weeks ago there was a chat at the official UK site about Seasons, in which developers Hunter and Lyndsay answered questions from fans. No news has come out of it, except for another rundown on the features of the expansion. The chat log is now available to view for those who missed the chat, or just want to read it over. Check out the full chat transcript for all the details.

Seasons Tech Support

Written at 20:01 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

As usual with the release of an expansion pack, a new tech support section opens up at the official site. The section for Seasons is now up as well, and contains the usual technical questions about the game. Some information about the main new features is included, as well as a few hints and tips concerning seasons and weather, gardening (including the gardening club and fishing), as well as running in a screen resolution higher than 800x600. You can also check out the support sections for all previous Sims 2 expansions and the base game by searching for all of them.

Seasons Prima Guide Preview

Written at 20:01 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Prima has released another strategy guide for the Sims 2, namely that for the Seasons expansion pack. It includes many details regarding the gameplay and additions of the pack. If you're still deciding on whether to get it or not, a preview might help. On the information page you can find a link to a PDF file containing 13 pages of the book. You get a sneak peek of the sections about the new careers, the new objects, building options, the object directory and the socials directory. For the details go to the information page, to purchase the book visit our shop.

Seasons Mini-game and Weather tool

Written at 20:02 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The release of an expansion pack always comes with a lot of news, as you might already have seen here. More news comes from two little programs made by EA, both about seasons and weather. The first is a mini-game, "Catch the Season," in which you have to catch falling snowflakes, flowers, suns and leafs. Secondly there's a little desktop tool which gives you a weather forecast as well as the current weather in your region. It'll save you watching through the window while playing the Sims. Both are freely available. So play Catch the Season or download the weather tool.

Seasons Reviews

Written at 20:04 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Now Seasons is out several of the major gaming sites have reviewed and rated the latest expansion pack. The first to do so was 1Up. Their short review tells about the fun coming from watching how each season has its influence on the game. That's about all too, nevertheless they do give it a score of 8 out of 10. Read on for other review information, which are much more in-depth. Read More!

EA Music on iTunes

Written at 20:05 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Although multiple soundtracks of the Sims 2 and its expansions have already been available as digital download before, EA has announced that it'll from now on release all the music from their games on Apple's iTunes Music Store, as well as through their own sales channels. Under the EA Trax label you'll be able to find music from many EA Games, including albums of the Sims 2, University, Nightlife and Unleashed (The Sims 1), as well as the Urbz. Soundtracks for other expansions are not (yet) available. Purchasing an album through EA, which goes for all Sims but the Urbz soundtracks, costs around $8-$11, for which you get unprotected MP3 files with the music and covers. If you like to save yourself those costs and you already bought the games, a tool like SimPE might require a little more time but does reveal the entire Sims 2 soundtrack, including all expansion packs, as MP3 files. For the Sims 1 you can simply copy the MP3 files out of the game's folders. There are also free Superstar and Bustin' Out albums available on the official Sims 1 site, through the Get Cool Stuff section. See the Sims store for the music of the Sims 2, University, Nightlife and Unleashed. Visit the EA Trax site for EA's entire soundtrack offering through iTunes and EA's own store. More information about EA Trax soundtracks on iTunes can be found in the press release.

Seasons Music with Karaoke Contest

Written at 20:05 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

EA's recent acquisition of Singshot Media is showing its first results: an online karaoke contest - in Simlish. Seasons contains some Simlish tracks by real-life artists, just like all other expansion packs for the Sims 2, including Lily Allen's "Smile." That song is the one that's up in the contest, with which you can win a trip to EA in Redwood Shores, California (near San Francisco) for 2 people, 4 tickets to a Lily Allen concert and copies of The Sims 2 and The Sims 2 Seasons. The runner-up will get an iKaraoke machine together with the Sims 2 and Seasons. Besides the trip, the winner also gets a chance to have their own singing included in the next expansion pack for the Sims 2. A Simlish music video of Lily Allen's version can be found at the official site. The same page holds the press release announcing the contest.

The contest is open for anybody living in the United States or Canada (except Quebec), at least 13 years old. You can enter until 10 April, until midnight Central time. You can only post one entry - no more, no substitutions or re-entries - and you have to leave your entry on the site as long as the contest runs. Members of SingShot can rank the entries, and the best three will proceed to the next round where a professional jury will decide about the winner and the runner-up. The complete rules can be found at the Guidelines page, to enter the contest head off to the contest page. To enter you need to create a free SingShot account.

EA has also announced some of the other tracks included in the expansion pack. They feature Government Mule ("Mr. High and Mighty"), Moe ("Blue Jeans Pizza"), Tata Young ("Zoom"), The Breadbox Band ("N"), The Chris McCarty Band ("The Next One"), The String Cheese Incident ("Close Your Eyes") and The Veronicas ("When it All Falls Apart"). All songs are re-recorded in Simlish and available in the latest expansion, under the Jambands radio station. Check out the press release for more details.

Seasons FAQ at BBS: Patches Coming

Written at 20:05 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Sam Player, senior producer for the Sims 2 expansion packs, has posted a FAQ in two parts on the official site's BBS. He tells about how to find the wishing well, getting rid of the 800x600 resolution lock, red and flashing objects and hacks causing trouble with the new expansion pack, causing some gameplay not to work. Sam also gives the correct recipes for all the juices - they were changed since the official Prima strategy guide went to print, and the guide doesn't have the correct recipes. He tells to skip putting fruit and vegetables in the fridge if you want to make juice from them, as well as a bug with seasons not changing on owned community lots. They're not supposed to change on normal community lots, since Sims don't age there as well, but if somebody owns a community lot the season it's on will always be the season the player was in when they first went to the lot. This issue will be addressed in a patch.

Sam says there will be two patches for Seasons. The first one is currently in testing and will be out in about a week. It will fix only a few major issues. Work on a second patch has not yet begun, but will once the necessary information has been gathered. Maxis is expecting to have it ready around April, maybe May. To report any problems you're having, fill out the Feedback Form. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of the FAQ for more details.

Seasons Bonus Downloads Problems Solved

Written at 20:06 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Some people were having trouble with the download codes for the pre-order gifts of Seasons. If you were unable to download your item you may find help in a BBS thread by MaxoidDrea, giving the correct redemption URLs as well as solutions with the codes from specific resellers. If you pre-ordered from GameStop you may need to add an 'R' to the end of the code. If you're having trouble with the code from Play.com, post a message in the BBS thread to get help. Another little hint: try your code for some of the other bonus downloads. It may just work for more than one item, though possibly no more than three.

Celebration! Stuff Announced

Written at 20:07 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

EA's Sims Division has officially revealed Celebration! Stuff, the fourth Stuff pack for the Sims 2, with 9 screenshots and a few renders of new items (not all items though). We also have the logo and pack shot for you to enjoy, all to be found at the bottom of this post. There's also a trailer video which you can find at the videos page on the official site. The pack will contain items to hold new fun parties and weddings, using the new gowns, tuxedos and other clothes, as well as the floral wedding arch. There will also be new birthday cakes, party balloons and more. More info can be found at the About page. The release date for the pack is set at 3 April for the US, which means it'll be out worldwide around the 6th. Visit our shop to pre-order the pack now.

Friday 23 March 2007

The Sims 2 Seasons: Heatwave or Clouded Over? - Part 6

Written at 01:28 by Andy - 0 comments.

In the sixth part of our review of Seasons, we return to the Midwinter family to find that Jonah is more green-fingered than Simone made out. We see how the family has grown (in more ways than one) and take an in-depth look at this game's weirdness.

Plantsims.

Read the latest installment right here! or go here to start from the beginning!

Saturday 24 March 2007

Showcase Update

Written at 21:02 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Last month we told you about the Valentine's Showcase at the official site. 5 sims, 10 lots, and 3 stories made it to the final cut picked by Maxis, all of which you can find in the Perfect Date Showcase page. This month there's a new showcase, all about "Spring Fever." Any creation revolving around spring - a story, sim, lot or video - can make it to the showcase, if posted on the Exchange before the end of the month (that's only one more week left!). Make sure you put "Spring 2007" in the description of the download so it can be found by Maxis. For more details check out the Showcase main page.

Seasons Theme Sheet Music

Written at 21:03 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

If you play a musical instrument and like the Sims 2 theme, then Maxis has a treat for you. Over on the official site EA's Sims Division put up sheet music of the arrangement used in the Seasons expansion pack. It's the original theme by Mark Mothersbaugh, arranged by Bill Cameron for Seasons and by Thomas Day for Piano. The four pages of sheet music are available through the Music page in the Get Cool Stuff section, in PDF format.

Maxoid Blog Updates

Written at 22:08 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Some Maxoids have been blogging again in the last and this month, although not too many. We've compiled a list of the blogging that's happened recently, so read on for details about what various Maxoids had to say and share - including several downloads for Seasons. Read More!

Sims Tech Support Separated

Written at 22:21 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

To make things easier to find for Sims fans, EA has separated the tech support section for the Sims 2 from the other EA games. At Support.TheSims.com you can now find help for all the Sims titles. Other Sim games (including Sim Theme Park and Sim Coaster, not by Maxis) are also in the same support section. Currently the knowledge base contains 829 questions for all games up until Seasons and Life Stories. Go to the Customer Help site for all the help you need.

Sunday 25 March 2007

Seasons Review at IGN

Written at 00:56 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Following earlier reviews of Seasons, gaming network IGN has picked up the game and played it. The first they remark about its contents is that it's a true expansion pack, really expanding the game as it originally was. The passing of time is improved with the new seasons, and weather "finally" part of the game. Gardening is a deep topic according to IGN, as your Sims can join the new Garden club. Small additions, including the new careers but also the leftovers deepen the Sims experience. In their closing comments the expansion is called a must-have for the Sims 2, and it's a pack you'll be playing with as long as you play the Sims 2 itself, whereas the others wore off their novelty fairly quickly. The only downside, says IGN, is that there's no new area like Downtown or a Shopping centre as introduced by Nightlife and Open for Business. That the pack doesn't have a large number of new objects is mentioned, but not considered a bad thing. All in all the expansion receives a score of 8.9 out of 10, along with an Editors' Choice award. The full review has all the details.

Current TV Contest - New Seasons Renders

Written at 00:58 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

To promote the release of the Seasons expansion pack for the Sims 2, website and TV channel in the USA, UK and Ireland Current is organising a contest around the pack. Until the end of next month you can make a V-CAM ("Viewer Created Ad Message", a commercial of 15 to 60 seconds) using either the game or material given on the website and anything else you have. If you promote the game well enough and your V-Cam is aired on Current, then you'll be paid Current's V-CAM flat fee of $1,000. You have until 30 April to submit your video, after that the assignment will close. Check the assignment page for more information and details. The page also has a toolkit with artworks and movies you can use, including some new artworks you can also see below - although the quality here is lower than the original photoshop files that are available.

New Prima Guide Previews

Written at 00:58 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Besides Prima's own preview of their Seasons strategy guide published earlier, EA has made two more previews available. Each of them shows nine pages of content from the guide, with information about weather and temperature, gardening and new careers in the first file. The second PDF file contains details about new and changed objects, setting the hair per outfit, the stackable inventory, new socials and the new neighborhood, Riverblossom Hills. Both files are PDF files of around 2 Mb, and can be downloaded from the official Help page. To purchase the guide, check out our online shop.

Celebration! Stuff Box Backside

Written at 00:58 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The Polish Sims fansite Sims Rewolucja has discovered the pack of the Celebration! Stuff pack, which is to be released early next month. As you can expect from us, you can view the image below - it's not that large, but the best that's around yet.

Celebration Pre-order Chandelier

Written at 00:59 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

As usual there's a bonus download you can get if you pre-order the upcoming Celebration! Stuff pack before it's released. This time there's a chandelier you may receive through the EA Store or Amazon (currently US only). As reported earlier you can get an exclusive blue dress at GameStop. See a little picture of the chandelier, that you can also receive through our shop, below.

Sims in the Hands of Artists Exhibitions

Written at 00:59 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

After a Life Stories exhibition in London, UK, Electronic Arts is organising three more exhibitions in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Together with art and design schools (Parsons The New School for Design, New York, Academy of Art University, San Francisco and the Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles) in these cities competitions and exhibitions will be organised. The art will be made by students, and needs to feature the Sims. Any form of art will be accepted, from machinima, paintings, illustrations and sculptural work to fashion designs, cinematography and interactive displays. Juries from the schools and EA will judge the displayed art, with the machinima and and traditional art being judged in separate categories. In total there will be $12,000 worth of prize money per school. The exhibition dates are as follows:

• 19 April - 12 May: Chelsea Museum of Art, New York
• 26 June - 19 July: 79 Gallery, Academy of Art University, San Francisco
• 14 July - 11 August: Maltz Gallery, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles

More details are in the press release as well as on the Hands of Artists mini-site. There you can also find contest guidelines for all the competitions, but remember only students of the respective schools are eligible for entry.

New Official Sims Desktop Theme

Written at 01:00 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

If you want to change the look of your computer's desktop to be more Sims-like, then EA Germany has a little something for you. Over on the German official site you can download a desktop theme. This theme contains a screensaver, wallpaper, icons and a matching colour selection to make your computer look more like that of a real Sims fan. Download the theme to pimp your desktop.

MySims Preview at GameSpot

Written at 01:00 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Information around MySims isn't coming in constantly, but there's a little bit of news around the upcoming Sims game for Nintendo Wii again. This time it comes from GameSpot, which has made a preview. They start off with the character creation, noting that the Sims look like a cross-breeding of anime figures, Lego models and the Wii's own Miis. There's plenty to choose from when creating your character, from huge Afros to pageboy haircuts and hippie outfits to the latest hip-hop threads. The number of possible combinations is high - and the number of possibilities is still being increased by the developers. The biggest new element is probably the building creator, which allows you to build one or two story homes using the Wii-remote. It may be a little tricky getting things exactly as you want them using the remote, so details may take a little patience but much is possible. The preview also mentions the "create-a-thing" option, used to build objects. You can opt to help the nice Sims in town, or the darker characters from the Volcano area. Completing enough tasks improves your town's star level, and with each improvement your character gets a new tool to develop and house new neighbours. An example is a crowbar, with which you can unseal a boarded-off path to a new forest area. The full preview has more details, but we recommend checking out earlier magazine scans (and here) for even more information. Besides the preview GameSpot also has new screenshots as well as a video interview with "Tim Laterno" (that's supposed to be Tim LeTourneau of course).

In the interview Tim introduces the original Sims briefly, and how the game is mostly about creating and creativity of the player. First of all the team came up with the new characters, after making the decision to make MySims. They are still little people, incredibly animated, that works best for the platform but still are Sims. Thanks to the new controller EA can offer new options to create items and make the world their own. Then he goes into the Create-a-Sim mode, in which you can change any aspect of the Sim, just by clicking things. Next is the build mode, in which you stack things together to create the building. Create-a-Thing allows you to create items and the final demo set up at the night GameSpot made the interview and preview shows the town. The media page has the video on it, which can be viewed by anybody who is registered for free.

New Pets Patch - Seasons Patch Due Soon

Written at 01:01 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Just before the release of the Seasons patch, which is expected in the next couple of days, EA has released a new patch for the Pets expansion pack. Anybody who has the pack should install it, even if you also have Seasons. As before, there are two versions of the patch, one for the CD/DVD edition of the game, the other for the Digital Download (EA Link) version. As common for improved patches, there's just one patch left which includes the old version. The new patch fixes the following issues since the previous patch:

• Custom objects will now be preserved when uploading Lots to the Exchange.
• Sim children will again show their genetically correct hair color.
• Thumbnails of uniformed NPC's will now show their current hair color.
• The Pet Adoption pool will now replenish correctly.
• Service NPC's that have died will now be replaced correctly.
• While on an outing, a waiter will now properly place food on the table after it is ordered.
• NPC thumbnails showing the "dyed" color of their hair. Th The NPC Maid will not longer get stuck cleaning a fish tank.
• Teens option to "Go Out" now functioning correctly.
• Birds and Womrats now require less feeding to survive. Pets now receive their pension upon retirement.
• "Dance Together" between all available age groups now working correctly.
• Children no longer levitate off ground during some interactions.
• Marry Mr. Big or the Diva will now satisfy the want to "marry a rich sim".
• The Sledgehammer tool will no longer leave deck parts when deleting decks.
• Remote businesses are now working properly. Custom objects will now be preserved when uploading Lots to the Exchange.

See the Update page for this and more patches, and make sure you download and install the patch.

Monday 26 March 2007

The Sims 2 Seasons: Heatwave or Clouded Over? - Part 7

Written at 05:37 by Andy - 0 comments.

In the seventh part of our review of Seasons, it's Summertime. We look at some of the households in my neighborhood of Simpleton Magnus to see how the season affects them. We also look at the new options with swimming pools, let you know what the best vegetables to plant are, and also point out for what aspect of simlife this season is most beneficial.

Read the latest installment right here! or go here to start from the beginning!

Wednesday 28 March 2007

The Sims 2 Seasons: Heatwave or Clouded Over? - Part 8

Written at 02:57 by Andy - 0 comments.

In the eighth part of our review of Seasons, we look at Autumn or Fall. We look at the many things to do with fallen leaves, what to do with harvested crops, the practical uses of the Weathernaught 57X and also find out how this season can improve the mind.

Read the latest installment right here! or go here to start from the beginning!

Friday 30 March 2007

The Sims 2 Seasons: Heatwave or Clouded Over? - Part 9

Written at 08:23 by Andy - 0 comments.

In the ninth part of our review of Seasons, we look in more detail at Fishing, Gardening, Greenhouses and the Garden Club. We also at the benefits of homegrown food and see how they can be used for even greater effect in the juicer.

Read the latest installment right here! or go here to start from the beginning!

Pets Mobile Released

Written at 13:52 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Yesterday EA announced that the Sims 2 Pets for mobile phones has been released in North America. The game features simple controls. You need to adopt a puppy and teach it tricks. You give it food and exercise, and also have to clean it. "Amusing antics" will delight your Sim if the puppy is well-trained. A happy Sim will earn more money and have an improved status. Neglected animals can shred papers, devour houseplants, soil the carpet and make the life of your Sim miserable. The game is available for purchase through EA Mobile, and is available through most carriers in North America. The press release holds more information.

Sunday 1 April 2007

Seasons Patch Released

Written at 00:06 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Yesterday EA released the first patch of Seasons, the latest expansion pack for the Sims 2. While it fixes just three issues with the pack, it does consume 45 Mb of disk space for the download. That's probably mostly because one of the fixes concerns the audio of the Rock Hammer (Musician career reward). The audio is now working correctly, just like uploading a lot to the exchange. All the custom objects are now preserverd. Finally babies won't cry as much as before anymore. If you have Pets as well, you will need both this patch as well as latest the pets patch released about a week ago. More information can be found in a BBS thread, go to the Seasons Patch page to get the right version of the patch.