SIM's Fans Out There?

[Domino]

I think part of the fun in enjoying the sims is just creating and decorating the house they live in.Ã,  I really enjoyed just playing for hours on end designing the perfect house and then decorating the way i would want my own place to look like.

It looks like in the Sims 2 that you can build the ultimate dreamhouse for your sims. I guess now you can have up to 3 floors.

I love the gameplay aspect of the game, but for me the whole building aspect is the best part.

Just hoping to get myself a copy when it comes out and then kissing my real life good bye.

[TerranRich]

There's a DVD version? Oh, and I just got an email from EBGames saying it shipping already! And I should be receiving it this afternoon, which means it's really being released on the 14th, not the 17th like they said. I love it when release dates are pulled instead of pushed.

Also, everybody here talks about open-endedness in games. I think the Sims 1 (and even more so in 2) is a perfect example of an open-ended game. No end, really, except for death. There aren't really any puzzles, but the game itself is one big puzzle: life.

As for the debate about having a real life vs. playng The Sims... just because a game simulates life doesn't mean that it's a substitute for life.

It's just a game.

ADDITION:

And on that note...at 11:15 AM today, I received:

Ths wonderful bundle of joy!

[Raggit]

DARN YOU QUANTUM RICH!!!!! I MUST HAVE THIS GAME BEFORE ANYBODY ELSE!!! MUST BUY NOW MUST BUY NOW MUST BUY NOW MUST BUY NOW

[Pelican]

ME WANT!

Heh! I think a few more days won't kill me. But QuantumRich, I want a blow by blow commentary of your gameplay! Tell us of the wonders of this game, which you have sneakily snagged before the release.

[Domino]

I called EB Games today to find out when they would have it on store shelves.Ã,  Looks like they'll have it tomorrow 9/14.

I guess i know what i'm doing tomorrow when i get out of work.Ã,  It sucks that i have to wait until after 5 o'clock to go buy it.

Reviews on the Sims2 so far look really promising.Ã,  I've seen a 5/5, an 8.9 out of 10 and also an 9.4 out of 10.

Shawn

edit: QuantumRich, how is it so far?  Let us know.

[Raggit]

As for the debate about having a real life vs. playng The Sims... just because a game simulates life doesn't mean that it's a substitute for life.

Well said!  The same goes for an adventure game.  Just because an adventure game simulates adventure doesn't mean it's players lack excitement in their lives.

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Was there ever such a debate? As I recall, the only thing said was that, in it's quest for simulating real life, it became boring for some players, who couldn't be bothered to achieve something in a game they would rather achieve in real life. And these gamers may think thus - "Why should I waste my time playing a game that simulates everything I can do in real life THAT perfectly? Sure, it's a WONDROUS achievent, to be sure, but I'd rather play games to be taken away to Syberia or Komkolzgrad, or Arcadia."

But then, I never did like the Tamagotchis myself, I have my own pets. And I do believe that The Sims is nothing but the ultimate (so far!) Tamagotchi.

[Andail]

As for the debate about having a real life vs. playng The Sims... just because a game simulates life doesn't mean that it's a substitute for life.

Well said!  The same goes for an adventure game.  Just because an adventure game simulates adventure doesn't mean it's players lack excitement in their lives.

Are you being completely honest here?
Because regarding adventure games, that fits quite well for me....I play games when no interesting things happen in my real life.

Since this game simulates dating, making money, friends etc, I'm very tempted to believe that its biggest audience are the ones who lack these things in real life.
I'm not saying everybody, just the target audience.

It's just an assumption. Maybe I will eat up my own words the day I try this game and becomes obsessed by it

[Oliver]

I had The Sims and house party expansion (I think it was called like that).
Also, I download a whole bunch of stuff from the internet when the game got boring with the items that were in it. I don't have Sims anymore, I'm thinking of downloadinging it again!

[TerranRich]

Hmm. Some might take offence to that. Not that I do, but still. The thing with The Sims is that it lets people play God, basically. You create people, control their lives, run them through their rat mazes. The target audience, to me, is the people who like to create and control. This game is a way of doing this. I don't think I know of anybody that fits into your category, Andail. The people I've known that played the Sims and liked it were average people with their own lives, loves, friends, jobs, things to do. They played it as a hobby, a game. And to tell the truth, I don't play adventure games when I lack excitement in my life. I play them mainly for the story. Do people read books because their lives are boring? No, I believe we read books for the entertainment, the use of imagination, and the story.

The question now becomes...what do I do with The Sims 1 and the three expansion paks I bought for it? They have become obsolete and no fun.

[Oliver]

Sell the game and buy the online version!
The online Sims version is like 10000 times cooler, it's like real life.

Anyway, about that you play "god" part, It is kinda like that, but for me it's just fun to live an computer life with some guy just like in real life. I don't see anything bad in that.

[Czar]

I'm sorry if this has been said, but did anyone notice the oh-so-lame i-too-want-to-be-top-selling game Singles: Flirt up your life which could be used as a softcore pr0n?

[Andail]

Gotcha, Terran.
I take back what I said

I guess I shouldn't question the value of something I'm yet to try

[Czar]

The thing with The Sims is that it lets people play God, basically.

Well, the way I see the Sims is as a cover up for all people (mostly teens and adults) to have an excuse to play with the "doll house" or LEGO bricks, now that they're older.
You see, they are now "adult" and can't be seen around playing with toys, so they use the
more sociably acceptable way to do it, playing a video game.

The god thing, well, that's more of a wider fact, and ofcourse true.
Hmm, gotta go to sleep... Hard day tomorrow.

[Privateer Puddin']

It's a business, so why shouldn't the developers of the singles try and get a foot in there before the sims 2 was released?

[Raggit]

As for the debate about having a real life vs. playng The Sims... just because a game simulates life doesn't mean that it's a substitute for life.

Well said!Ã,  The same goes for an adventure game.Ã,  Just because an adventure game simulates adventure doesn't mean it's players lack excitement in their lives.

...I play games when no interesting things happen in my real life.

Since this game simulates dating, making money, friends etc, I'm very tempted to believe that its biggest audience are the ones who lack these things in real life.
I'm not saying everybody, just the target audience.

Does this mean that the only people who play first person shooters are bloodthirsty mass murders and sadists??? 
I don't personally think so.  But I do agree that there are some people use The Sims as compensation for lack of a life. 

But everybody has different reasons for playing the games they play. 
I'm not trying to challange you in a flame war or anything, I'm just raising a point.       And don't feel lame or loser-like for wanting to give it a try.  It can be really fun at times.    

QuantumRich:

Tell us all about the game!!!!!!  Here are a few of my questions:

1. How long does it take kids to turn to teens and teens into adults etc...?

2. Can you buy cars for your sims?

3. Are there any cool weather or season effects???

[Domino]

Here is a pic from the Sims2 with a Sim that i just created.Ã,  Here she is eating some chips. (Damn!! I made her gorgeous.Ã,  )



looks like she got caught off guard stuffing her face. ha ha

like i always say, don't knock it, until you try it.

Shawn

edit: new pic of hot Sim



I'm still in the middle of building her home, and by the pics, haven't added much of anything.

[Raggit]

OOOOOOOOOOHHH MUST HAVE!!!!!!

Hey, does the video recorder work really great???

Looks like you need to buy your sim some lights in her house!! 

[TerranRich]

I will use the video recorder in the future to show you all what it's like, as well as some screenshots.

Sims2 is pretty neat. When you create your Sim, you can choose what category of aspirations (s)he will have, like Romance Asprations, Family Aspirations, Money Aspirations, etc. Throughout the game, the Sim, at any one time, will have four aspirations. Once you fulfill one of these Asprations, you get a certain number of points (gaining a skill is 500 points, while having a baby is 8,000 points), and one or more of the Aspirations change. And the Aspirations actually make sense. Once you meet another Sim and get along with him/her, your Sim might have one of his/her Aspirations change to "Become Friends Wth So-and-So".

An example: I created a household (a small, modest two-floor house) with a guy and a girl, Kevin and Jennifer Hess. When I first created them, I had their Family Relationship set at "Roommates". Of course, it can change, so over time I had them become friends, then best friends, then crushes, then loves. They are now married. There are days of the week, Sims have days off from work, and it takes about 40 days for a Sim to go from Adult to Elder. So far, I have 22 days to go until we become elders and, most like, can't have kids.

An interesting note: you can no longer move families into empty lots and build there. Now, you can build on an empty lot without any family there, then move in. You don't have any money limit when building, but once you move in, the family has to pay whatever amount it cost to build the house. This way, you can make a 1,000,000-Simolian house, and have a rich family move in there. Of course, families still start with 20,000, so you're still limited that way.


Here is my tour of the game and the Hess household, while both Sims are at work...

http://www.terran-x.com/images/01_loadinggame.jpg
This is the loading screen for the entire game. The farther it is into loading fully, the more square become clear. There are a lot of little graphical nuances like these that make the game interesting.

http://www.terran-x.com/images/02_neighborhoodchoose.jpg
This is the screen where you choose what neighborhood you want to play. These are the only three, and they show as animating videos for each button, much like a DVD movie menu screen. There's Pleasantville, Strangeland, and Veronaville. Pleasantville looks something like a soap opera town, Strangeland is like Roswell, and Veronaville is of course Verona from Romeo and Juliette, complete with...

http://www.terran-x.com/images/03_veronaville.jpg
...matching storyline, with the Capps and the Montys (Capulets and Montagues). So far, my Sims have interacted with the parents (or grandparents?) of the Capp family, Patrizio and his wife (forgot her name). I think you can control either the Capp or the Monty family if you want, but I decided to go with a custom family moving into the neighborhood.

http://www.terran-x.com/images/04_loadingveronaville.jpg
This is the loading screen for the neighborhood. The top lit bars act like a progress bar, showing you how far along the neighborhood is loaded. Once it loads, there is a short fly-by video that shows most of the neighborhood.

http://www.terran-x.com/images/05_neighborhoodscene.jpg
This is the area around my house, the Hess house.

http://www.terran-x.com/images/06_hesspreview.jpg
Once I click on the Hess house, it shows a little preview window with my two Sims and some info. When my Sims were only roommates, they were shown as buddies, posing together, facing the camera, smiling. Now that they're married, they look more like a couple. Like I said, lots of little details added to make it better overall.

http://www.terran-x.com/images/07_firstfloor.jpg
Thiis is the first floor of the Hess house. The kitchen/dining room, small bathroom, and party area are here, along with the back deck.

http://www.terran-x.com/images/08_secondfloor.jpg
And this is the second floor, complete with main bathroom, TV/study area, and two bedrooms. Now that they're married I have to merge the bedrooms (and perhaps get more room for something else) so that they can share a bed and "Woo-hoo", as the Sims2 calls it.

http://www.terran-x.com/images/09_farhousekevinaspirations.jpg
This is a wide shot of the house, switched so that all walls and roofs show. This also shows Kevin's Aspirations. His meter is white, which is called the Platinum Mood.

http://www.terran-x.com/images/10_closeuphousebabyponts.jpg (Yes, it's misspelled on my server, too.)
This is the closest I can zoom in to the interior of the house. This also shows Jennifer's Aspirations. You can also see that Jennifer's meter is yellow, which is called Gold Mood. My mouse was held over the "Have a Baby" Aspiration, showing the points that it would add. What are the point for, you ask?

http://www.terran-x.com/images/11_aspirationrewards.jpg
You get rewards for a certain number of points. I kept wasting them on Money Trees (which literally grow money and you have to water to maintain), so I have to accumulate enough points for the higher rewards. I have about 3 of those NoodleStimulators, which are supposed to do something to you when worn. I haven't noticed any difference. Above that is some milk machine to make babies/kids smarter, and some other stuff.

http://www.terran-x.com/images/12_jenjob1.jpg
Suddenly, this thing pops up. Randomly, I get to choose the course of my Sims' careers. Before, I could choose to tell Jen's boss about an investment deal, or go for it on my own. I chose to tell my boss, which earned me a promotion, a raise, and a boost in a skill or two. For this decision (go for Telemarketing or Door-to-Door sales), I choose telemarketing...

http://www.terran-x.com/images/13_jenjob2.jpg
...and, of course, it was the wrong choice. I piss people off and lose all my Charisma skills (3 points, gone). It takes a long time to gain Charisma, standing in front of a mirror, talkinig to myself. Jeez.

http://www.terran-x.com/images/14_whatiswoohoo.jpg
This describes one of Kevin's (of course) Asprations, which is to "Woo-hoo" with Jennifer. It describes what I need to do, which is get into a hot tub or same bed, cuddle, then woo-hoo.

http://www.terran-x.com/images/15_kevintimeforbed.jpg
Kevin has just come home from work. Everytime he comes home, he is dead tired and sleeps during the afternoon, while Jennifer sleeps normally, at night, when Kevin is awake. I want their sleeping patterns to match, so now that Kevin has two days off from work, I will try to synchronize their sleeping patterns.

But I have homework to do, so I'll lay off the Sims for now.

[auhsor]

Wow, it looks really cool. I want to get it but I fear that it will eat up into too much of my time. I really need to focus on uni and assignment and stuff first.