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The Sims 2 Body Shop Tool Released

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the designer-friends-and-family dept.

KIEDIS writes "As the release date for The Sims follow-up approaches you can go download The Sims 2 Body Shop from the official website. This tool allows you to create your own Sims and custom content for the game, before it actually comes out. We still don't know the date of release for The Sims 2 but at least EA/Maxis is giving signs of it getting closer." EA is also hosting a Sims 2 Body Shop Showcase which shows off over 700 Sims. Update: 05/12 20:56 GMT by S : GameSpot are indicating The Sims 2 will debut on September 17th for PC, according to sources at E3.

26 comments

  1. as soon as the sims2 goes online it'll kick ass by cheezus · · Score: 3, Funny

    it'll probably pass the sims online as the best mmorpg ever!

    --
    /bin/fortune | slashdotsig.sh
    1. Re:as soon as the sims2 goes online it'll kick ass by Dehumanizer · · Score: 1

      It's a single player game. Or was that a joke? :)

      --
      The Tlog - a technology blog
  2. Replacing expansion packs? by Golgafrinchan · · Score: 1, Interesting
    ... create your own Sims and custom content for the game, before it actually comes out...

    I don't get it. It sounds like this lessens the need for expansion packs if players can create add-ons themselves. I think it's great, but how does this help EA profit?

    --
    My userid is prime!
    1. Re:Replacing expansion packs? by SoVeryWrong · · Score: 1

      Players could always make their own add-ons for the Sims. This isn't anything new, there were tons of sites (some you had to pay for) that had extra content for the original.

    2. Re:Replacing expansion packs? by KIEDIS · · Score: 1

      Oh no! They dont replace expansion packs at all!! I heard they already plan 7 expansion packs for the sims 2! What this tool does, i had some time to check it out:) is to create your sims...but you need something called "content" that will add skin tones, hair styles, clothing stuff... This tool was made to replace those old fan made skins (you know..for the first version you had to do it bitmap like with any editor and it was working after same for objects) Now as the game went 3D they just gave you a 3D tool to create your sims as you wish... Im eager to find more content (or find the way to make it myself) to add the body shop so i can create better stuff:)

  3. not the 'Body Shop' by eamonman · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hmm, at first I mistook the article to mean that the Sims coders had created a 'Sims' version of the The Body Shop (off of Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood). Seemed like a weird amalgamation of real life, games and upscale umm, female employees. Maybe someone out there could actually make this a reality with the actual program. ;)

    --
    0- Eamonman Proud member of DNRC
    1. Re:not the 'Body Shop' by dimator · · Score: 1

      Hey! I've had a lap dance there! Small world...

      --
      python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
  4. This is interesting. by hal2814 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's not often that you see a game editor come out before the actual game. Granted all you can edit here is people, but I think it's a good way to drum up enthusiasm over the Sims 2. My wife is an avid Sims gamer and I'm sure if I told her about this (which I won't ;)), she'd download it in a heartbeat.

    1. Re:This is interesting. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "It's not often that you see a game editor come out before the actual game. Granted all you can edit here is people, but I think it's a good way to drum up enthusiasm over the Sims 2. My wife is an avid Sims gamer and I'm sure if I told her about this (which I won't ;)), she'd download it in a heartbeat"

      My wife knew about it so I was SOL. Of course I earned brownie points by installing it for her.

      Perhaps you could use Sims2 Body Shop as a way to get some...

  5. Argh! by chromaphobic · · Score: 1

    All these links from all the exciting E3 news today and I'm stuck at work all day and can't see any of them because of that damn SmartFilter blocking them all! Now I have to wait until I get home to check it all out.

    Grrr...

  6. Slashdot sims by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Maybe we should all make some of /.'s favorite persons into sims? I'm Thinking Linus, RMS, Taco, Natalie Portman... maybe even the goatse dude...

  7. oh no... by JustNiz · · Score: 0, Troll

    Sims 2?
    just when I thought the most boring/unintelligent game ever was finally dead...

    1. Re:oh no... by ITman75 · · Score: 1

      No you are wrong.

      The Sims 2 and Sims with expansion packs are Great.

      The only dud and boring sims game they made is The Sims Online.

  8. For alcoholic Sims... by Golgafrinchan · · Score: 0, Funny

    Is it possible to use this tool to implant an RFID chip in one of my alcoholic Sims?

    --
    My userid is prime!
  9. Whahahaahahahaah funny guy by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 1
    The Sims, the original game, has had user made expansions from the beginning and downloadable content. Of course this didn't help the expansion packs at all. Wich game again was it that has broken the expansion pack record several times?

    The sims is a house decorating and dress up game. There will always be new things to add. Sure EA will not have much of a market for say a red version of the orginal sofa. That has been taken care off by users. But new models (think skirts, long skirts, mini skirts, etc) new animations, new capabilities.

    No this is nothing new. Perhaps this tool makes it easier but if anytbing the more user content there is the more people will play this for a long time making a bigger target audience for EA to add new content. (oh and if they follow the original game then most of the user made content requires the all the expansion packs to be installed, just make sure each expansion pack adds a couple of must have features)

    Unless they have totally ruined the game The Sims 2 is going to be a cash-cow for EA for the next couple of years.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:Whahahaahahahaah funny guy by jonwil · · Score: 1

      I believe that EA actually went after at least one person who tried to create/edit/create programs for editing/something like that the special Scripting language used by The Sims to actually make things do stuff in game.

  10. Useless Bodyshop by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    A 105 Mb download and I can't even edit the bra size...

  11. People Who Make People by MiceHead · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Items within their showcase seem to fall into three categories; the ordinary beautiful, the not-so-beautiful, but interesting caricatures, and the horribly deformed experimental. Fans of the comic Preacher might find one, in particular, familiar.

    But what's most interesting is that people give them little stories:

    The Nehibore of the SIM Family. She's old. She's mean and she hates kids.

    This is one of those teacher who looks like a really boring woman, but if you take away the glasses and gives her another haircut, shes a really sexy top model!

    He and his sister Mara are inseperable and very much alike...being that they are twins. But he really looks up to his older sister...and likes to copy her by wearing his PJ's all day (when he's home).

    She loves hanging out in her room giving herself makeovers and watching movies in her undies...with popcorn....ahhh the life of a girl.

    Loves walks by the beach and loves kids. She just needs a husband and she's set.
    I've been told that people live out fantasies through their sims, but I didn't believe it until I saw these profiles. This seems so similar to the play of children with dolls; I have to wonder if people would express themselves more if given the chance. (Such things are frowned upon in general. Even among geeks, there's a limit to the amount of doofiness someone can display -- Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt! (mpeg).) While the story tidbits written by these Sims players are simplistic -- they sound like kids' fantasies now -- I think they'll improve, given time. Maybe they'll even become interesting in their own right. And for that, I will argue that video games can be great.
    --
    We're indie. We're working on our 14th game.
    1. Re:People Who Make People by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I've been told that people live out fantasies through their sims, but I didn't believe it until I saw these profiles.
      People who play Doom or Far Cry or Splinter Cell are living out the fantasies they used to enact with their Action Man or G.I. Joe. The Sims just allows for more complex play.
  12. Re:Mod me 'troll' if you wish ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ".. that seems to be the pattern for the day anyway, but if there's one game Slashdot crowd doesn't really care about, it's The Sims."

    Actually you are wrong. Since most Slashdotters are male and Sims freaks are females, it is prudent for slashdotters to know about the Sims/Sims 2 to help get laid.

    If for some reason people at TechTV didn't know about the Body Shop and I was dating the super hot geek girl Morgan Webb, I'm sure she'd put out for Sims2 Body Shop, followed by buying her the game in September.

  13. Boobies? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you serious?

    Cmon folks. Lets get with editing the female Jiggly fatbags we love so much!

  14. Can't wait for the game itself by advocate_one · · Score: 2, Interesting
    to come out... cos then the price should drop for all the existing addons and bundles... "The Sims" is one game where the price has remained high for a really long time... I think just about every other game from that period is now to be found on budget labels or the bargain bin...

    just goes to show how well designed the original is

    --
    Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  15. The only complain by KIEDIS · · Score: 1

    The only comoplain about the body shop is not about the content (wich its very little at first and creations can be limited for now)... My complain is about body types...you get two types of body...thin...or fat...but you know maxis forgot that in real life there is lots more of types...first not everyone's hight is the same and second...you can be fatter than that or even have bigger boobs too...well the face design is really well done but how about the rest of the body?

  16. Sims v Sims2 by 1eyedhive · · Score: 1

    As your run of the mill, quake playing male geek, I played the Sims a lot when it first came out.
    it wasn't until they added 7 expansion packs that things went downhill. Not so much the gameplay/content (the pathfinding improved slightly, though intelligent house design gets around that issue). the game itself slowed to a crawl on even a fast system with all the expansion packs installed.
    the 2d, CPU powered engine may have worked for the first 2 expacks, but starting with Hot Date the game started to slow down considerably, ramping up the textures on some of the new content while not taking into account that the entire thing is still cpu driven. the slowness/bloat drove me away.

    the new content, actions, mayhem and engine are definate selling points for the Sims 2. too bad it's not due til september.

    --
    Logistical Chaos Officer http://www.slagg.org - LAN Gaming in Sarasota FL,USA