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1531. SimDay

Written on Thursday 17 June 2004 at 12:47 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

This week has a not-so-very-interesting SimDay. The interview with Jonathan Knight and the earlier designer diary are mentioned again. Besides that there is a new community update. On the Sims 2 Website you can also find links to a new contest at The Sims Resource, and a BodyShop hair tutorial by LintphishX. Also new is a poll running on the official site. They're asking you about your favourite expansion pack. Finally there's a new blog by Mike Perry on the URBZ Site, about how they get their ideas for the game:

"We started by holding brainstorming sessions. Everybody on the development team was invited to a meeting room where they could shout out any game idea they had. We wrote down every idea, good or bad, on a big whiteboard. We filled up the whiteboard so fast that we typed up the notes and erased the whiteboard 4 or 5 times in every brainstorming session."

Read the complete blog on the official URBZ Site.

1532. Sims 2 on DVD

Written on Thursday 17 June 2004 at 12:39 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Fansite Snooty Sims has discovered that The Sims 2 will probably also be released on DVD. Rumours have been circulating recently already on several forums, as EA was asking the visitors of the official Sims sites if they have a DVD drive in their computers. A DVD edition can be pre-ordered from EB-Games. It hasn't been found on European websites yet, though we'll keep you updated as always.

1533. New Poll

Written on Thursday 17 June 2004 at 12:34 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Recently there has been some discussion about the limit of Sims per household again. Our new poll is about that limit: we're wondering what you think should be the limit. You can vote on the right or at the latest poll page. Last week we asked you about the series of Deluxe editions for The Sims. The results can be found on the results page:

• 16.18% (33) - I've bought them all!
• 19.61% (40) - They're alright, but I've bought just one of them.
• 7.35% (15) - I got one just for the Sims Creator and the extras.
• 42.65% (87) - Nice for people new to the game, but I don't need it.
• 7.35% (15) - I hate them, EA never should've released them.
• 6.86% (14) - Deluxe? Double Deluxe? Mega Deluxe? Triple Deluxe? Never heard of 'em...

For all our previous polls, visit the poll archive.

1534. Interview with Jonathan Knight

Written on Saturday 12 June 2004 at 11:20 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Lucy's weekly mail has arrived again, this time with an interview. Lucy has relatively little to say herself:

"Week after week, I provide you with the scoop on The Sims 2, which means that, week after week, you're only getting my perspective on a project that requires the constant attention and dedication of literally hundreds of individuals.

"This week, I thought it would be nice to shine the spotlight at one of the other heavy hitters behind The Sims 2, and let him talk about the game from his perspective. I immediately sought out Producer Jonathan Knight, who both literally and figuratively wears many hats, and asked him to provide a little background about himself and talk about his contributions to The Sims 2."

We've posted the interview with Jonathan Knight here. Just read the interview for details about the development of The Sims 2, and hats.

1535. Sims 2 Designer Diary [Update]

Written on Saturday 12 June 2004 at 11:03 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

A new designer diary has arrived at GameSpot. Although it's been Lucy Bradshaw talking about the game in those diaries before, this time it's producer Jonathan Knight. The article is all about the aspirations (wants and fears) of the Sims in the sequel. Here's a little bit of the article:

"You might not think that potty training the sims sounds like a real job, but in a strange way, that's exactly what our team has been up to for the last several months as we put the finishing touches on the new gameplay innovation in The Sims 2. With a new interface, a new simulator, and the same old Maxis humor, we've had a blast taking "that people game" to the next level. Here's a sneak peek into how we arrived at our revolutionary new game design..."

It comes with several new screenshots, including a couple of the in-game Create-A-Sim. The interface for that has been improved a lot since November. Finally four little movies of a begging sim, sims looking at sims of the other sex (twice), and a scientific experiment, of which 2 screenshots have also been posted. For all the juicy details, go to the GameSpot article, screenshots page or the movies page (the "Official Movies" 2, 3, 4 and 5 are new).

[Update 20:30] The Sims 2 GameCentrum has posted snapshots of the 4 movies. See this page for those. Thanks to Laku for this tip.

1536. URBZ Preview

Written on Friday 11 June 2004 at 22:58 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

GameSpot has posted a new preview of The URBZ. After going back in time a little bit, the new features, graphics and sound are discussed. Nothing really new is told though. As we've heard before, the game will be based around your Urb's rep (reputation) in the city. The basic needs, like hygiene, sleep and the toilet are still in the game, but much less prominently. GameSpot also talks about the nine districts that will come in the game, of which each has their own style citizens and culture. The EyeToy support is also mentioned shortly. As seen in an earlier GameSpot movie preview (the EA Booth report), you'll be able to see yourself on bulletin boards and other places in the city as your rep grows. As expected, the graphics and audio will be better than before too:

"The audio will feature a unique collection of voice and music that will be geared toward creating a distinctly different world for you to explore. You'll hear unique forms of Simlish, your virtual avatar's mother tongue, from the various characters you'll encounter on your travels. While the version of the game we saw was still a work in progress, we were able to get a good sense of the audio on hand."

Along with the preview, a couple of screenshots have been posted. You can see and read it all from the preview page.

1537. SimDay: New Video and Goodies

Written on Thursday 10 June 2004 at 10:13 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Today is another SimDay. This week Maxis brings us two new Sims 2 things. The first one of these is a "Flirting Video". It's a video which shows several lessons in flirting. Watch lessons 101 to 106 in flirting. You can get it from the Sims 2 videos page. There's also a new goodies page, from which you can download several (new) wallpapers. Finally, Scot Amos, Senior Producer on The URBZ, has posted another blog on the URBZ Website. He talks about the Sims 2 winning the E3 award for Best Simulation, sprinting towards Alpha stage, and new camera modes in the URBZ. Enjoy reading it!

1538. New Poll

Written on Thursday 10 June 2004 at 09:58 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

We have another new poll on this site, like every week. With a new Deluxe version being out since recently, Mega Deluxe, and probably another one coming out in Europe later this month (Triple Deluxe), we want to know what you think of all these Deluxe versions (Deluxe, Double Deluxe, and the new ones). Tell us and vote on the right, or on the latest poll page. As for last week, when we asked you if you'll be making videos and photo albums for The Sims, the results are in. Most people said they will make both (62%), while 23% won't make either. Tied on third place are those making either just photo albums or videos (5% each), closely followed by the 8 of 180 (4%) who aren't interested in The Sims at all. A nice list of the results is on this results page.

1539. Maxis/Origin Moves cost 117 jobs

Written on Tuesday 8 June 2004 at 23:08 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Back in March Maxis has moved into their new office at the EA headquarters in Redwood City, California. Another EA studio, Origin, has also moved to those headquarters from Austin, Texas. Combined, this has cost an estimated 117 jobs. There have been rumours of people being laid off before the move already. Some more explanation about htis has been fiven by EA:

"We contacted Jeff Brown at Electronic Arts, who clarified the situation. Brown explained that the "lion's share" of employees at Maxis and Origin were offered jobs at the Redwood Shores location. Some employees, of course, are not accepting the new positions. It turns out the "117" figure was reported in the securities filing based on an estimate of how many employees would not be taking the new jobs."

Meanwhile, EA is still hiring more people than those who are leaving the company. It's not known exactly how many people from each office separately have left them. For more information, read the full article at IGN.

1540. Sims 2 Best Simulation of E3

Written on Tuesday 8 June 2004 at 22:58 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

As we mentioned 2 weeks ago, the Game Critics Awards winners would be announced today. They have, and out of the 3 nominations (2 for The Sims 2, one for The URBZ) Maxis has won one. The Sims 2 has won the Best Simulation award of the E3 2004. The URBZ was also nominated for Best Simulation, while Splinter Cell 3 beat The Sims 2 for Best PC game. You can find all the winners on the winners page.