The Sims 2 Announced

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Posted by simoniker on Monday May 5, 2003 @05:15AM from the really-big-computer-people dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Electronic Arts today announced that The Sims 2, the next generation of the #1 PC game of all time, is in development." Seems like the new 'unique selling point' for the sequel is "the.. addition of genetics, with the DNA of Sims passed down through generations", but there's a whole heap of other new bells and whistles. The game will be previewed properly at E3, and the franchise has now sold over 24 million units as a whole.

16 of 55 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Not playing it by Anonymous Coward · 2003-05-05 05:20 · Score: 4, Funny

Until it has a first person shooter mode, and that is the main way it is played, count me out.
Do we really WANT our sims to get old and die? by 2Flower · 2003-05-05 05:24 · Score: 3, Funny

I mean, wasn't half the fandom surrounding The Sims based on recreating celebs or X-Men and stuff? Do we really want to take the time and energy to make Sailor Moon in The Sims and then have her get old and fat and sit around complaining about taxes until she croaks, then we get her mutant pink haired offspring running around?

More seriously, it's a bit like the problem with the sim-kids in the first game. You have no control over them beyond their name, so if you're trying to assemble a house of people from your own imagination rather than from a host of random 'DNA' variables, you're out of luck.

But hey, what do I know? Clearly Maxis understands why The Sims are fun better than me. Look at how great TSO is! ...right.
could be something to look forward to.. by snillfisk · 2003-05-05 05:26 · Score: 4, Insightful

I played the first one for a couple of days straight when it was just hot and fresh and were really impressed. It was fun in a strange way and I enjoyed creatinge and setting up this little family .. but after a while things just got boring and you kinda could anticipate what was going to happen .. I hope they make each experience more unique and probably a bit more evolving than the first edition, but sure, the "simplicity" (i'm not calling it a simple game, that would be plain wrong) may have been the reason why it has sold so well and attracted so many non-regular gamers.

There's a good chance that this DNA-feature will make the sims a better, lasting game which kinda never stops and still evolves.. we'll see.

Looking forward to the E3, at least. :-)

--
mats
One man's ceiling is another man's floor.
Re:When is E3??? by Palshife · 2003-05-05 05:27 · Score: 2, Informative

E3 starts up next week, 13-16 I believe.

http://www.e3expo.com/

--
Attention deficit disorder is a complicated issue, spanning several major... HEY LET'S GO RIDE BIKES!
Creatures by ScurvySeaDog · 2003-05-05 05:33 · Score: 2, Interesting

Remember the game "Creatures" from a few years ago? They had kinda their own DNA and would take on traits from their parents.
My brain hurts just thinking about it... by redtail1 · 2003-05-05 05:46 · Score: 3, Interesting

Wil Wright's games would come full circle if a Sim could spend a few hours playing a tiny version of Pinball Construction Set...
The Sims are bit like playing with dolls by rRaminrodt · 2003-05-05 05:50 · Score: 2, Interesting

And I'd guess that's why they've been so popular. At least with my Mother I think that's true. :-)

Personally, I hope the Maxis folks optimize the loading of objects/the startup procedure. Since my mom has downloaded so many objects for the game she'll start it up and then go do something else while it loads. They've had plenty of expansion packs to try and do something about that, but I haven't seen much of a change.

--
They'll think I've lost control again and leave it all to evolution. -- Supreme Being, Time Bandits
1. Re:The Sims are bit like playing with dolls by daeley · 2003-05-05 07:29 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  'They're not dolls, they're action figures!'
  
  --
  I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
Silence of the Lambs Construction Kit by Nathan+Ramella · 2003-05-05 05:53 · Score: 4, Funny

Really the worst thing I've ever heard of involved the Sims. Someone bragged about building a bathroom with a phone and a toilet, replacing the door with a wall when their Sim went to relieve himself, and the Sim would just try to phone for pizzas because he was so hungry.. But the pizza guy couldn't deliver.
Quite sad really.

--
http://www.remix.net/
1. Re:Silence of the Lambs Construction Kit by Zeriel · 2003-05-05 06:46 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  My girlfriend used to make families entirely named after people she didn't like, with the express purpose of walling them in and starving them to death in effigy.
  
  ...maybe THAT'S why the Sims is so popular. Virtual hatred. =P
  
  --
  "America has done some terrible things. But I know that Americans don't cheer when innocents die." -Dave Barry
2. Re:Silence of the Lambs Construction Kit by Allison+Geode · 2003-05-05 07:55 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  I used to make a small room similar to that... I would put a toilet, a fridge, a bed, and a phone in there, and lock one person in by removing the door. this sim served the purpose of a "phone slave," since occasionally when the phone ring, you can get a pretty nice amount of money from the call: his whole purpose was to sit in his box, with just enough to keep alive, and answer the phone, so that everyone else in the house could have afford to live comfortably. yes, I realize how awful that is.
Four words. by iamsure · 2003-05-05 05:53 · Score: 2, Funny

Inbred Country Hick sims.

--
GPL'd web-based tradewars themed space game
Re:New Add-Ons by RaboKrabekian · 2003-05-05 06:06 · Score: 4, Funny

Go outside. Play with your kid or your dog for fucks sake. Ride a bike. Read a book. Wow!

...quoth the regular Slashdot poster.

Ahem.

--
"Moderate drinking can help prevent amputated limbs" -- Abigail Zuger, NYTimes, 12/31/02
TheSims 3... by suss · 2003-05-05 07:15 · Score: 3, Funny

I can't wait for TheSims 3, the version where people have to actually get off their fat asses and go outside to interact with living human beings...
Re:New Add-Ons by funkmastermike · 2003-05-05 07:17 · Score: 2, Funny

But a game where you get to be a mundane human doing mundane things?

hey trapping people in 1 square rooms and seeing them turn into an urn is NOT mundane.. at least not in real life.

wait a minute...
DNA? Not impressed! by fm6 · 2003-05-05 07:25 · Score: 2, Insightful

I found The Sims fascinating for a while. But it soon became obvious to me that the "free will" behavior was very limited, not to mention poorly thought out. There are all these intriguing behavior parameters -- but in the end it mostly doesn't matter whether your Sim is "outgoing" or "playful" or whatever, because they never get anywhere if you don't micromanage their behavior. Not even romance is spontaneous. (!!!) And they can't even figure out who's turn it is to use the bathroom without your help!
(Related issue: Sims have no ability to negotiate for shared resources. You can have major deadlock just from two Sims trying to cross each others paths. Never mind the major problems you have when a bunch of hungry Sims all try to grab a plate and find a seat at once. ("There's an empty chair! Wait, now it's occupied. There's an empty chair! Wait, now it's occupied. There's an empty chair...") Which is kind of disturbing in a real-time game! It's probably not a coincidence that the software itself seems to have a lot of race conditions. Has anybody at Maxis heard of the Dining Philosophers?)
So why is the game so popular? I think people just enjoy creating imaginary people and building houses for them. If you're artistically inclined (I'm not) that must be a lot of fun. But as a simulation, the game is a total failure. Which leaves me with low expectations for "DNA".