Thursday 1 August 2002

The Sims Online - Want A Job?

Written at 18:01 by Matthew - 0 comments.

As part of today's 'SimDay', EA are advertising for someone to become an 'Online Community Representative' when The Sims Online launches. Yes, I know, one heck of a confusing job title.. but it does clarify it a bit. Here's a bit more of a description:

'This person is the voice and face of TSO to the user community. He or she reads and answers forum messages, facing the heat when the community is up in arms and staying in touch with what matters most to the users. Ideal candidate will show management skill necessary to supervise additional OCRs as the team grows.'

If you want to know more, or possibly even apply, go to this page here. And tell them The Sims Zone sent you!

Sim Brother II - Vote Now!

Written at 18:06 by Matthew - 2 comments.

As you should know by now, Sim Brother II is coming soon to this very site. It kicks off within the next month.. but the preliminaries are starting right now. Call them auditions, if you will.

Over on the right, the first of two polls to determine the participants is up. You can vote between Manchester United footballers David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy, George W. Bush, Mel Gibson, Prince Charles or Samuel L Jackson.. and three of these men will be in Sim Brother 2. Who goes in? You decide! I've always wanted to say that.

The Sims Unleashed.. Unleashed

Written at 18:27 by Matthew - 1 comment.

Today is SimDay, and what has the official Sims website got for us? A load of new info about the upcoming Unleashed add-on pack, that's what. And guess what? There's more to it than just letting your Sims have pets. Oh yes. Click here to see the section yourself, or read on for a summary.. Read More!

Friday 2 August 2002

My First Downtown Lot For You

Written at 00:52 by William - 0 comments.

Willies Wine and Dine is now open on Lot 26. Stop by today for the finest Eats and Club anywhere. Willie's where The Sims always comes first. Click on picture to check it out.

Sim Day - We want more, Maxis

Written at 02:00 by Andy - 3 comments.

As you will have noticed from Matthew's well written news articles, there have been three items from the official site this SimDay. Thankyou, Matthew.

However, as much a critic as I am a fan, this is not enough, Maxis. Read More!

Saturday 3 August 2002

Sim Brother II - Vote for The Guys

Written at 04:37 by Andy - 0 comments.

Sunday 4 August 2002

New Paintings

Written at 21:41 by Bettyjoe - 0 comments.

Hi Bettyjoe of "Bettyjoe's Creations" here. I just added ten new paintings to our art gallery. There is something here for every sim to enjoy, young or old. Be sure to visit the files section. You can find the paintings under my section (Bettyjoe). or under the Paintings Section. You can also link directly to them from the latest files section of the TSZ home page.

Monday 5 August 2002

Skinning Debut: Two New Skins and Heads

Written at 08:48 by Jendea - 6 comments.

My first skinning and head attempts:
Two new heads: Celia and Beach
And two new skins, a Suede Capris Suit and a Peasant Dress.
All four can be found under Skins File Section.

 

Written at 00:04 by Jendea - 2 comments.

I added two new heads today, both dark haired ;) and a new sundress inspired by the flower paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe.
You can find them all under Jen or under the Skins Section.

A Surprise For Your Neighbor

Written at 02:01 by TJ - 0 comments.

I've added an object. It's the Big Bang Soccer Ball. It will only explode if your neighbor kicks it (too bad huh), and it takes a lot of neglecting to get them angry enough to do it. Hope you like it. Read More!

More Release Dates!

Written at 14:52 by Matthew - 0 comments.

Still light on the ground with news right now, but I can confirm that The Sims on PS2 will be out in Europe on November 8th. This goes with The Sims Deluxe and The Sims Unleashed both being out on October 4th, on the PC.. so that's all three of them within five weeks. Erk. I hope you've all got a lot of saved-up money out there...

Thursday 8 August 2002

SimDay - Chat Transcripts

Written at 17:57 by Matthew - 0 comments.

Today, your intrepid news gatherer wandered over to TheSims.com, hoping for a half decent SimDay. Last week wasn't that bad, after all.. lots of info about The Sims Unleashed, amongst other things. No new downloads, but heck, we expect that now. So, the page loads.. and what do I find?

It's a chat transcript. Sigh. If you want to read more about The Sims Online, then thanks to Stratics.com you can do so over here. Still, at least there's some positive news in there..

GamerDude12: Is the Cancellation of TSO in europe final?
Maxis_Tyrant: There was no cancellation
Maxis_Tyrant: We have no idea how that got out, but it definitely wasn't official
Maxis_Tyrant: We will be announcing European rollout plans in the coming month or so

Yay!

Friday 9 August 2002

Sim Day - What a cop-out!

Written at 03:34 by Andy - 6 comments.

If my memory serves me correctly, Sim Day was supposed to be the day of the week when Maxis produced something of use - be it downloads or relevant news about "The Sims".

Apparently this has changed and I for one am not at all pleased. Read More!

3 Walls

Written at 16:35 by Sumit - 0 comments.

I have added 3 walls to your delight! Check them all out here.

Saturday 10 August 2002

Sim Brother II - Vote for The Girls

Written at 17:12 by Andy - 0 comments.

Sunday 11 August 2002

Guess who's back in business

Written at 00:08 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

Indeed, I've returned from my holiday and as you might've noticed, already a few things were fixed and changed today. In other words: I'm back in business like I was two weeks ago. You'll see regular items from me again like before. As you've seen, Sim Brother 2: The Contenders will start soon too, but that's not the only thing coming up here. What those things are? You'll have to see for yourself. Not now, but later. That means you'll have to keep coming back here for the latest news on The Sims, its expansions, The Sims Online and The Sims on PS2, and of course Sim Brother 2, new addons for your sims in the form of downloads, other special articles and more. All the regular stuff, and more in the future. Just keep visiting, and you'll see it all.

Monday 12 August 2002

Small fix in updates

Written at 00:16 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Due to a problem with the database, it wasn't possible to put the urls in the site updates part completely - they got truncated at 50 characters. The result: pictures wouldn't show up correctly there. That problem has now been fixed. If you ever wrote an update with an image, then please edit it and fix the image url. If somehow you're unable to edit it, then send me an email telling me what post it is, and what the url should be. I can then also fix the post. Of course you can always add your updates here if you're registered and logged in, or view the latest updates right here. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the problem.

Tuesday 13 August 2002

New downloads coming soon!

Written at 04:28 by Carrie - 4 comments.

I just wanted to let everyone know that my new baby and I are doing really well. Soon, I will be working on creating some new objects, houses and more for your Sims. Be sure to look for them in the next couple of weeks...maybe sooner. For updated pictures of Ethan, please click here!

Wednesday 14 August 2002

August update of TSO

Written at 00:53 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

The new TSO Newsletter has arrived in the mailbox of subscribers, and the official site has also been updated. There are 5 new articles, and more about the external beta (play) test. As for the play test: it will start with 100 people, but there will be 50,000 people playing the game towards the end of the test. You can join on invitation only - i.e., Maxis has to invite you through email. You also need valid creditcard info for age verification purposes and probably the $5 it costs to ship the CDs. You can also play the first two weeks after the release of the game for free. After that, you'll have to buy the game and pay the monthly fee like everybody else. A nice reward for those who get invited. More details can be found on this page and this other page. But also new are 5 of the articles... Read More!

New Skins and Heads

Written at 10:23 by Jendea - 0 comments.

Two very different style dresses posted today:
a Gold Drape Dress modeled by Blondie
and a Gothic Mini modeled by, of course, Goth.

Thursday 15 August 2002

YAUP

Written at 00:34 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Indeed: Yet Another Unleashed Preview. GamingHorizon gives us some info this time. this page has all that, of which the following is a part of:

"The community lot also serves a practical purpose: it's an excellent place for gathering, so when a Sim converses with another Sim and they strike up the topic of pets and both happen to be a dog owner, their relationship gets a nice boost. By contrast, if your Sim has a parrot and begins discussing Big Bird with a visitor who owns a cat then the relationship goes down a grade."

It also mentions the gardening a bit, slightly more detailed than most previews I've read before. At the end there are two numbers - 125+ new items, 50 jobs - and the conclusion that because of that it'll be a giant success. Unfortunately, we can't tell you that for sure until late September or early October when this expansion pack will be released. One thing is for sure: don't expect too much, and the game will seem better in the end. The full preview can be read here at Game Horizon.

Deluxe Box shot

Written at 00:53 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

The boxshot of The Sims Deluxe has appeared on the net. The Sims Deluxe will have The Sims, Livin' Large, some extra items and the 'Create-A-Sim' tool. Maxis hasn't yet told us if everybody who already has The Sims (and Livin' Large) will be able to somehow get the extra items for free or for a real bargain. We'll see about that later I think. This box (with content) will be in stores around early October.

How do Sims spend their free time?

Written at 02:18 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Most sims have jobs, others don't. Either way, they have quite a bit of free time, usually about 16 hours (considering they work 8 hours a day). Okay, 7-8 hours of that is usually spent with sleeping, but even then the Sims have one third of their day to fill up for themselves. Now our question to you is: what do they do in that time? The poll is on the right, but you can also vote on this page.



Last week's poll was about Sim Brother 2, starting a week today. Andy will announce the final contestants later today. Stay tuned for details.

The King of Rock -N- Roll

Written at 05:44 by William - 0 comments.

August 16th is the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presleys death. To celebrate the life and legend of Elvis, I have for you today three pictures of the King of Rock N- Roll. You can check them out here .

Yet Another Sims Online Preview!

Written at 14:06 by Matthew - 0 comments.

As if all the info that was released earlier this week wasn't enough, GameSpy have released yet another preview of the upcoming Sims Online. While the subscription fees may put some off, at least we know it's coming out in Europe now! Anyway, here's a taster of what GameSpy have to say..

'The best part of The Sims Online is being someone your not. The main thing I noticed in the game -- as in the real world -- is that most of the players online flock together, chat with each other, and mimic each other's actions. It's hard to say how this will translate on a larger scale -- especially when one player's character will depend on others to earn a living. Sure, I could go online and be a total ass at the club, but then no one would patronize the establishment, and I'd lose my job. So, also as in real life, the usual social courtesies apply.'

If you'd like to read more, click here.

SimDay - Is this it?

Written at 14:20 by Matthew - 10 comments.

Now, hopefully there'll actually be some more stuff appearing later today.. but as things stand, a link to an article at FoxNews.com is the only thing that has appeared at the official website today. Hmm. Great. The article itself is quite interesting, I suppose, but it's about online virtual worlds in general and not just The Sims Online. Relevant enough for a SimDay? I think not. Still, why not have a taste of it and see what you think..

'In The Sims, there will be none of the killing and looting requisite to other games. The citizens of Simville spend time working, talking on the phone, having barbecues, grooming their pets, having children and ordering pizza -- just like in the real world. "It looks and smells like a game... but players don't really approach it like a game," said Will Wright, creator of The Sims. "Every player brings their own goals into the game, everybody's always reformulating their goals, just like real life."'

And that's all the Sims stuff in the article. Brilliant. Anyway, it's still worth a read, so hop over here to read more. I'm sure Andy will have something to say about this soon as well, you know.. :)

You Decided

Written at 20:41 by Andy - 0 comments.

Friday 16 August 2002

The Sims Deluxe - Rip Off?

Written at 14:01 by Matthew - 11 comments.

Last night EA made a press release regarding The Sims Deluxe Edition. Fairly standard thing for the most part, detailing that it'll be out in September in the US, at a price of $39.99. However, that's not the worrying bit. No, that comes in the form of this paragraph here:

'The Sims Deluxe Edition will be available for a suggested retail price of $39.99. Current owners of The Sims can receive a $10 mail in rebate with proof of purchase. Details of the rebate and a rebate coupon will be available on boxes of The Sims Deluxe Edition.'

So for all of us who were wondering how we'd be able to get access to the minimal benefits that come with the Deluxe Edition, now we know. We get to save $10. The news just gets worse and worse for us Sims fans, doesn't it? Still, I suppose I should point out these details are currently for America only, and the plans for Europe could be different. If you want to know more about the press release, read on.. Read More!

Saturday 17 August 2002

The Sims PS2 Moved

Written at 00:41 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Bad news for the Sims fans with a PS2: the PlayStation2 version of The Sims has been moved back to late November (in Europe anyway). Therefore, this game will be expected at the same day as SimCity 4: 29 November. You'll have to wait a month longer than expected before, but I don't think that's too much trouble if you've been waiting for the Hot Date patch or SimGolf in Europe before...

First View Of The House

Written at 01:25 by Andy - 5 comments.

From this hazy aerial photograph, here is the first view of the new Sim Brother II house. The compound is very well guarded but we have heard that the builders are still hard at work on the gardens and outside areas to make things ready for the housemates' arrival next Thursday. Stay tuned.

Vacation for Mac coming

Written at 02:35 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The Sims: Vacation has been out on the PC for a while now. However, the Mac fans still have to wait a while for it. Not long though, as the game is already in its duplication progress. That means the cds are being pressed, the manual and box are put around it, and the game will be released soon. How soon? The end of this month. 30 August all Mac fans will be able to enjoy this - to them new - expansion. The system requirements are:

MacOS 8.6, 9, 10 or later G3 processor with 233 MHz or faster (333 Mhz recommended)

192 MB of built-in RAM (additional Virtual Memory may be necessary)

600 MB free disk space

ATI Rage Pro, NVidia GeForce 2

4 MB video memory

It's once again Aspyr making the conversion. You can also pre-order on this page, or get more info here. If you're outside the US, then have a look at their International Distributors List. The price is $29.95, and of course the original Sims game for the Mac is required to play. No other expansion packs are required, only recommended to improve the fun you have with the game (that's from my experience on the PC).

 

Tuesday 20 August 2002

Snow Bunny Swimsuit

Written at 18:56 by Jendea - 0 comments.

Ok, I KNOW this is wierd, but I wanted a more flattering outfit for my snowy vacation lots without worrying about my sims freezing. The result: a fur bikini trimmed in ermine. :D
Download includes "normal" files and also files for making the skin available for purchase under swimsuits or as winterwear.
The model heads are also available.
See them all under my section at: Jen or under skins

Wednesday 21 August 2002

The Sim Brother House Tour

Written at 20:00 by Andy - 6 comments.

Thursday 22 August 2002

Sims Deluxe = Rip Off: petition!

Written at 01:48 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

Thanks to the webmaster of SimGateway, there now is a petition about The Sims Deluxe being a rip off. The main part consists of my open letter, with a small comment from Ted at the bottom. If you agree with the things I mentioned in the letter, then SIGN THE PETITION HERE (sorry for the caps). I thank anybody who signs the petition in advance.

If you think The Sims Deluxe is a rip off, then sign the petition!

How sociable are your sims?

Written at 02:16 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Can your Sims make friends with other sims easily or not? If not, then Unleashed might be a nice expansion for you as the pets can help... but for now we are just asking you how hard your sims find it to make new friends. You see the question on the right, and can answer the most appropriate there. You can also vote right here. Read More!

SimDay - Now getting stupid..

Written at 15:54 by Matthew - 4 comments.

Hey people, guess what the SimDay for this week consists of? Well, as you'd find out if you go here, it is.. the very same press release that I analysed last week. In fact, while the news is dated for today, the release is even dated the 15th August. Incredible. The release is located here.

At least it proves something though.. that the best place you can go for Sims news is in fact this very site. :) Don't give up hope people.. we've got plenty more coming for you today - including the start of Sim Brother 2! Stay tuned.

The Final Lineup

Written at 20:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

Friday 23 August 2002

Sim Brother II - Let The Show Begin

Written at 02:00 by Andy - 1 comment.

Will Wright interviewed again [Update]

Written at 23:42 by ChEeTaH - 3 comments.

Will Wright, designer of The Sims and SimCity, has been interviewed again. This time at GameStudies. It's a long interview, with many, many questions. Here's a small highlight:

"In The Sims people tend to veer off in a different direction. Some people go off into the storytelling thing. So eventually the metaphor becomes that of a director on a set. Youre trying to coerce these actors into doing what you want them to do, but theyre busy leading their own lives. And so you get this weird conflict going on between you and The Sims where youre trying to tell a story with the game but they want to go off and eat, and watch TV, and do whatever."

So that's why we're always shouting at our game when the Sims don't do what we want them to do? Anyway, the whole interview doesn't discuss just The Sims, but also some of Will's other hobbies: robotics and board games, especially the game Go. It also mentions The Sims Online and SimCity. The whole interview can be read here.

Update: Apparently, this interview is nearly a year old (5 Sept 2001) and has slipped through as new news somehow. Nevertheless it's still worth the mention. Thanks to Sumit for noticing.

Saturday 24 August 2002

Sim Brother II - Day 2 (The First Task)

Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

Cloud 9

Written at 02:07 by Sumit - 0 comments.

Your Sims can now change their homes to a pad of love, with a cloud wall and floor! Check them out by clicking here.

TSO Box Shot

Written at 21:19 by ChEeTaH - 3 comments.

Some news that's actually new this time: the box-shot of The Sims Online has been found on the internet. EB-Games is now showing the box which looks absolutely not like the boxes of The Sims games as we know them. Also, it doesn't look like it's a DVD-style case that most games come into these days. If that means that The Sims Online will come in a box like the old days, is yet unknown. It might also mean that this is not the final box shot too. We will find out soon enough. Below is the box as it's been found:

Maxis sites down for 3 days

Written at 21:26 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

As a notice at the official site says, the Maxis sites will be down from tomorrow until tuesday 27 August. That means you cannot visit thesims.ea.com, simcity.ea.com and simgolf.ea.com during this period. The sites should be back online by the time it gets wednesday for Maxis. As there are only major upgrades to the network (and so not the sites), you probably won't see any changes to the sites afterwards.

Sunday 25 August 2002

Sim Brother II - Day 3 (Friday)

Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

Monday 26 August 2002

Sim Brother II - Day 4 (Sunday)

Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

Deluxe word from Maxis

Written at 23:08 by ChEeTaH - 3 comments.

Three days ago a Maxis official posted something on the BBS of the official site with some things in it about The Sims Deluxe. They aren't too good for us loyal fans, as basically it says the same as the press release - and that Maxis has, in their opinion, put in a lot of time and effort. It also says that there is a rebate coupon of $10 included with the pack, but as we know that only counts for people in the US or Canada, with original proof of purchase and that the action is only valid until the end of this year. It may not be just a compilation of The Sims and Livin' Large, but still it doesn't sound worth another $30 or even $40. You still have to buy the game and the expansion pack again if all you want are just a few extras. And that costs you $40, only a few lucky people will be able to get $10 back. And I still think it are only just a few extras, as 25 objects and 50 clothing options may sound nice, but in the end you will probably be disappointed. Read More!

Tuesday 27 August 2002

Screenshots Unleashed

Written at 00:12 by ChEeTaH - 3 comments.

At the Taiwanese site of EA, a couple of new screenshots of Unleashed have appeared. One of them shows the method of transportation to the community areas: a city bus. Another one lets us see what selecting a pet is like. The rest are basically some screenshots of shops and community areas. Go this page to see all the screenshots.

Sim Brother II - Day 5 (Monday)

Written at 02:00 by Andy - 1 comment.

Wednesday 28 August 2002

Sim Brother II - Day 6 (Party On!)

Written at 03:44 by Andy - 0 comments.

Unleashed Interview

Written at 22:58 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

The Gamers' Temple has posted an interview with Jenna Chalmers from Maxis. She is a designer, and is currently working on The Sims Unleashed. There's quite some information about Unleashed in it, but not a whole lot of new things. However, there is a bit of an interesting tip in it:

"As far as pets go, dogs and cats require a lot of care in their first days home from the adoption center. While it may be tempting to buy several at once, for a smoother ride you may want to bring them home one at a time."

It also tells us that your Sims need quite some charisma to get their parrots talking. Get your sims ready for that, you can already train them for that now! Also, it seems that they've added skins they made for Create-A-Sim - which comes with The Sims Deluxe. However, that's all they say so we still don't know if that comes with this expansion pack too. Plus, there'll be some new music in Unleashed which, according to Jenna, is just great. We'll see about all that in September/October when this new expansion is due. The whole interview can be read from this page (it's a few pages long), all at the Gamers' Temple.

Thursday 29 August 2002

Sim Brother II - Day 7 (Nominations)

Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

Making friends is hard...

Written at 02:00 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

...for Sims anyway. At least that's what their gods - that's you who's reading this - say. However, opinions were divided. In last week's poll, 38 of 144 people told us it's quite difficult for their sims to make friends, while 28 people said their sims have no problems with it whatsoever. Third place with 27 votes and 18.75% came the option "Easy" which means the sims of those 27 people find it easy to make friends. "Very difficult" followed closely as fourth though, with 25 votes. 12 others voted "Very easy", while 9 gods voted their Sims don't need friends. Just 5 people told us that their Sims can't make friends somehow. The full results can be found in the poll archive. This week it's Sim Brother nomination and eviction week, so visit Sim Brother II: The Contenders for that now. After reading up on today's happenings, vote for who you want to leave the house.

Friday 30 August 2002

Screenshot Mania

Written at 01:07 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

So far still no SimDay, but that doesn't mean nothing happens. For instance, GameSpot has posted 5 new screenshots of Unleashed, the fifth expansion pack for The Sims. You can see sims gardening (as below), or some in a pet shop. You can see all of them right here. Also, SimsZone.de has visited the german "Games Convention". From there, they brought a couple of new screenshots of The Sims Online. You can see bits of the world in two of them, and sims in interaction in two other shots. Visit this page there to see them all. As it seems that GameSpot is currently not showing the screenshots correctly (not to me anyway), you can see all five Unleashed screenshots at SimsZone.de too.

Sim Brother - Day 8 (Divided House)

Written at 02:21 by Andy - 0 comments.

Saturday 31 August 2002

Late SimDay: TWO links!

Written at 01:41 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Although the last SimDays were practically nothing (just one old link), this week we get more! Two whole links, both not the latest ones. In fact, we've reported about both here earlier. One is about a special at GamePro.com that features The Sims on PS2. Want to know what we said about it at 15 July (Note: over one and a half months ago!), then simply follow this link. The other article is a bit more recent, as we reported about that 2 days ago, the 28th of August. More info is right here. To go directly to the articles, then click here for the Sims on PS2 feature, or right here for the Unleashed article. Have fun, if you hadn't already read both articles.

Sim Brother II - Day 9 (Captain's Challenge)

Written at 02:09 by Andy - 0 comments.