1115 results found.
Displaying results 1021 to 1030

<< Previous | 98 | 99 | 100 | 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 106 | 107 | Next >>

1021. Body Shop: The Hidden Stuff [Update]

Written on Friday 14 May 2004 at 02:56 by ChEeTaH - 3 comments.

The Body Shop manual and tutorial do not reveal all. First of all, there are a few useful hotkeys that we found:

• F6: Stretch the arms of the Sim/mannequin. This does not toggle back though, so once they're stretched you can't 'undo' that unless you change something.
• F7: Zoom in to the face of the Sim.
• F8: Zoom out to see the whole body of the Sim.
• F9: Show/Hide the control panel. Useful for viewing those parts that are just a bit off screen, or for making screenshots

If you have discovered other hotkeys, feel free to e-mail me with the details. Furthermore, a 'hidden' webpage has been discovered. It seems that it'll be used from within the game, as portal to the exchange. However it doesn't have much content whatsoever yet, as the real exchange doesn't exist yet. Click here to get there.

Last but not least: I've made a small utility which allows you to put Body Shop parts (*.package) files into a *.sims2skin file, so they can be installed in a more user-friendly way. Those files can be easily installed by just double clicking them, which is more user-friendly if you're distributing your parts. Unzip the file anywhere to your hard drive and run the Sims2Packer file. All required DLLs are included in the zip file. You can download it from this page (1.3 Mb).

IMPORTANT NOTE: This tool is not supported by Maxis or EA. ChEeTaH and/or The Sims Zone are not responsible for any damage done by this tool. Support can not be provided, but suggestions are welcome. Using this tool is entirely at your own risk. Feel free to redistribute this program, but don't make any modifications to any of the files, which includes the zip file itself.

[Update 1:50] I accidently missed out 2 DLL files in the initial downloads. The file is now available again, redownload it if you were having problems. I've also posted a version without the DLLs (for if you have The Add-on Handler 0.3.0b or later, or the Neighborhood Handler 4.11 or later) at this page (23 Kb).

1022. Sims 2 and URBZ GBA screenshots

Written on Thursday 13 May 2004 at 20:40 by ChEeTaH - 2 comments.

A couple of new screenshots have appeared again. There are 3 screenshots of The Sims 2, and another one from the URBZ on GBA. It's simple as usual, just click the thumbnails below to see the large versions.

1023. IGN Sims 2 & URBZ E3 impressions

Written on Thursday 13 May 2004 at 14:32 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

After GameSpot, IGN has now also posted some impressions of The Sims 2 and the URBZ. First the Sims 2: there are two previews. The first is about the problems of monogamy for Sims. Even they can't resist some extras sometimes. It's a nice story to read. However, the actual review has some more interesting information. This is just a little bit, about careers:

"There are ten fairly general career tracks in the sequel and Sims will still simply disappear for a few hours each day as they fulfill their career obligations. There's nothing new there. But rather than just getting better pay and hours as they gain levels in a given career track, Sims will gain cool, new reward objects as they move ahead in their jobs. Military Sims will get a neat obstacle course that they can use to train their body. Sims on the business track can take advantage of an indoor putting green, while those who pursue science as a career will have an in-home biotech station."

Furthermore, it also mentions the ability to turn off Sim death. If the editor means it's possible to turn off just again, or death completely, is a bit unclear. Real new info isn't given, and a lot seems to come from the video interview. Nevertheless, it's worth a read. Click here to do so. Finally, IGN too has confirmed 17 September as shipping date for the game.

The URBZ is also getting much attention, and of course IGN has checked that out as well. First take a look at the pretty long preview of the game:

"Urbz also promises a whole new set of interactions. All interactions are representative of your lifestyle, and directly relate to one of the nine cultures. No real examples will were given, but we believe interactions will be even more over the top than those in last year's Bustin' Out. Also, your interactions are likely to be copied by any Urbz you've influenced."

More can be read on this page. Besides that, a new video with in-game material has been posted. It's not very different from the trailer, but a must-have for the fans. For non-subscribers, only a 12 Mb Windows Media file is available, Insiders can also download the high quality QuickTime versions (17 Mb and 44 Mb) from the Video Page. The same video can also be retrieved from GameSpot. Finally, IGN also reveals in the preview that the URBZ will ship in November. An exact date hasn't been given yet.

1024. SimDay

Written on Thursday 13 May 2004 at 13:22 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

It's Thursday, and even though Maxis is showing off their latest games at the E3, the website has been updated. Of course there's a lot to do about the Body Shop. In the "Thread of the Day" in the official site's BBS, MaxisKitty has asked fans to recreate themselves in the Body Shop. You can read all about it right here. For those who want to see MaxisKitty (without the curly hair she really has), click here. The other part of this SimDay is merely showing some links to articles we previously mentioned. More information about those articles, and more, can be found in our E3 Roundup. The final update has come to the URBZ Website. In the new "Flix" section you can view the trailer of the URBZ. Make sure you choose either Hi-res or Lo-res at the top to select your preferred quality. This trailer has been seen before though. Finally, don't forget the Body Shop chat with Darren Futa tonight on the official site. It starts at 11pm in the UK, midnight in Europe, or 3pm PST.

1025. Body Shop Screenshot

Written on Wednesday 12 May 2004 at 19:12 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Even though the Body Shop is released already, that doesn't stop the flow of screenshots coming in. A new one has been found at GameSpy, along with an article about the release of the program. If you're still waiting with downloading the program, but want to take another look already, click the thumbnail below for the full size screenshot.

1026. New Sims 2 Video

Written on Wednesday 12 May 2004 at 17:30 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

IGN has posted a new video again. For some people it may not be entirely new, as it contains mostly in-game footage which was also included in the Lucy Bradshaw interview. This time however, it's also available to those who aren't an IGN insider. It comes in 3 ways: Windows Media Format (15.8 Mb) and QuickTime format (21.1 Mb), both in a 320x240 resolution, or a high resolution (640x480) QuickTime video (53.2 Mb). Only the Windows Media file is available to non-subscribers, IGN Insiders can also download the high quality versions. Depending in your format of choice, you need either Windows Media Player 9 or QuickTime to see it. It has several short in-game clips in which you can see actual Sims in action. You can download it from IGN's video page.

1027. GameSpot: E3 Material [Update 2]

Written on Wednesday 12 May 2004 at 13:48 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

The E3 has kicked off, and GameSpot has already posted some first articles and screenshots. The first thing is about the URBZ, and is an article with their pre-show impressions. It came with a couple of screenshots, of which one is new (click the thumbnail to enlarge). Here's a quote:

"Gameplay will apparently revolve around a series of minigames, though we didn't get to see any of these in action. Players will have to control their urban sims through a series of trials in order to impress various other characters. For instance, we were told that players may have to spend a night as a sushi chef, trying to cater to the late-night dining crowd."

The whole article can be read here. Furthermore, they've also posted a couple of new screenshots. They may look a little bit familiar, as they're similar to what we saw in the IGN Video Interview. Yet these are of much higher quality and definitely worth a look. Click the thumbnails below to see them all.

[Update 18:00] The links to the images below where dead. They're fixed now. Thanks to Tim for reporting this.

[Update 22:00] GameSpot has posted their Sims 2 impressions as well. They sat down with Lucy Bradshaw a while ago, and the article provides mostly basic information like the IGN Interview. Make sure you click here to read the article.

1028. Body Shop Available! [Updates - 22:35]

Written on Tuesday 11 May 2004 at 21:32 by ChEeTaH - 14 comments.

The Body Shop is out! FilePlanet has posted the Body Shop as exclusive download on this site. It's split up in several downloads, but it's big. You must first free up 106 Mb (!) for just the progam. Once you've got that, there is a starters pack for another whopping 95 Mb. Finally there's a pack exclusive to FilePlanet, which is just 2 Mb. You need to have a (basic, free) account at FilePlanet to be able to download the files. There currently is a waiting time of about 30 minutes, and you'll have to be a little bit patient before you can actually download the file. You can find all the download links right here. GameSpot has also published it, except that there it's one download of 206 Mb. You can find that on this page (free registration required there as well, but there's no waiting time). FilePlanet has also posted the 3 screenshots below, which shows some Sims with GameSpy and other outfits in the game. We'll keep you updated with news about the showcase and more!

[Update 20:35] The official site's showcase has launched too now (with the first user skins already there). From this site you can download the Body Shop (including a mirror on the official site now), the starter pack, the exclusive FilePlanet and GameSpot packs, a tutorial and the manual (in several languages). You can go to the download page here, get help with the body shop on the BodyShop Help page, and get more help with the showcase on the ShowCase Info page.

[Update 21:35] Some screenshots showing the GameSpot Sims have been added as well. Click the thumbnails below for those.

[Update 22:35] It's busy, and Maxis knows it. The official site is struggling to stay online, and even the GameSpot download servers have been down for some time as well (they're back up at the moment though). Several Sims fansites have mirrored the program, but due to limited resources of those sites I won't list them here. The servers are getting "slammed" as obviously the program is very popular. If you're unable to download it now, it's suggested to try again later. Here's what MaxisKitty has to say about the download problems:

"Our servers are getting totally slammed right now. If you are having problems we recommend that you come back later and try again.

"We are working on improving performance - but you might just want to try the FilePlanet or Gamespot pages if you want to try and grab the file right now."

[Last update: 11 May, 22:35]

1029. Extra Extra! E3 Newsletter

Written on Tuesday 11 May 2004 at 13:52 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Maxis has sent out a special edition of their Sims Insider's newsletter. In it are a few new, but also some old things. There's some URBZ stuff that has been posted about quite some time ago already. However, there's brand new Sims 2 material. First of all there are the 2 screenshots and the artwork below (click to enlarge). There's also a new video of Veronaville, in which the camera flies through the neighborhood. You need QuickTime to play it, and you can download it using this link (4.8 Mb). It's only a matter of hours to the E3 and the Body Shop now, we'll keep you updated here as much as we can!

1030. Lucy Bradshaw Video Interview [Update]

Written on Tuesday 11 May 2004 at 04:19 by ChEeTaH - 4 comments.

As she already told us, Lucy has been interviewed by IGN. The interview is now available for IGN Insiders. It's a huge download, 300 Mb in Quicktime or almost 150 Mb in Windows Media format, but I've downloaded it. It doesn't give much real new information about the game, though the in-game clips from it are nice to see. You can see some snapshots I've created at the end of this article (in the Read more bit). Most interesting from those videos is that it looks like Maxis has included some Superstar elements, as we can see a lady Sim on the red carpet, with body guards and flashing cameras around her. Other images show the building of the homes, but also Sims jumping on couches, kissing and wrestling. We can also see the creation of a Sim (in-game) for a bit. For more information about what Lucy and Steve Butts, Editor-in-Chief of IGN, had to discuss in those 20 minutes, read on... It's a nice summary of what The Sims 2 is all about again.

[Update 16:20] Some more pictures from the movie, not taken by me, can be found at Snooty Sims. They're posted along with some other shots from recently published movies. You can see them right here. Read More!