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Sims 3 Expansion Announced

EA has announced that The Sims 3 will be getting its first expansion pack on November 16th, titled World Adventures. It will be available at first for the PC and Mac clients, and later for mobile platforms. "Players can take their Sims on new journeys to famous real-world inspired destinations around the globe for the first time ever and seek out new adventures. ... From mastering martial arts in Shang Simla, China, discovering rich culture and famous landmarks on a romantic getaway to Champs Les Sims, France or exploring the depths of ancient tombs in Al Simhara, Egypt, players can take their Sims on a journey that will change their Sims' lives." EA's Lyndsay Pearson spoke further about the expansion in an interview with IGN.

84 comments

  1. Who cares, seriously? by __aaxwdb6741 · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is like the WHO announcing that yet another poor guy in a third-world country got infected with TB.
    Interesting stuff man, we already know it's a tragedy. Stop beating the dead horse now.

    1. Re:Who cares, seriously? by TheLink · · Score: 1

      At least 1 million people might care?

      They sold at least 1.4 million copies in the first week of release.

      --
    2. Re:Who cares, seriously? by __aaxwdb6741 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Many 14-year old girls with overpowered hardware on Slashdot, I see.

    3. Re:Who cares, seriously? by PrescriptionWarning · · Score: 1

      the crazy thing is that we know there's going to be like 20 expansions come out over the next 3 years before Sims 4 comes out... time to bury this as news not worthy unless they do something that's actually more innovative than this.

    4. Re:Who cares, seriously? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sure Alice will care too, maybe she can get a better park bench to sleep on?

    5. Re:Who cares, seriously? by ByOhTek · · Score: 1

      and don't forget that each will be a near clone of an expansion of the same name (or near the same name) of the previous Sims games!

      --
      Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
    6. Re:Who cares, seriously? by TheGothicGuardian · · Score: 4, Funny

      Look on the bright side: they might grow up to be 19-year-old girls with overpowered hardware on Slashdot.

  2. Surprise! by mseeger · · Score: 4, Funny

    Nobody really expected an expansion for Sims 3... This comes as a complete suprise. Gamers are in an uproar...

    1. Re:Surprise! by Canazza · · Score: 1

      No, we expected STUFF packs

      --
      It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for being subtle.
    2. Re:Surprise! by Apotekaren · · Score: 1

      Shhhh!
      You might give EA ideas...

      And they're not used to new ideas. At least not good ones.

      --
      She: Hey, are you a traitor? Me: No, I'm atheist.
    3. Re:Surprise! by Dr.+Impossible · · Score: 5, Informative

      You know what has me in an uproar? EA recently deleted my Sims 3 account for no apparent reason, yet my CD key is still tied to it. So I can't use my legally purchased game to download stuff from the Sims 3 store, nor can I visit the forums to demand an explanation (that requires a CD key, naturally). I guess EA's angle is that I'll hopefully buy another copy. Needless to say, I'll be pirating every single Sims 3 release from now on, such as this expansion.

    4. Re:Surprise! by SterlingSylver · · Score: 1

      Gamers were also shocked to learn that rainclouds plan on raining, politicians plan on seeking reelection, and perhaps most shockingly that scientists give the sun a 99.999% of rising tomorrow. Film at 11.

    5. Re:Surprise! by mindstormpt · · Score: 3, Funny

      Haha, you bought Sims 3 :P

      J/K, but you apparently read Slashdot... How did you fall into that trap?

    6. Re:Surprise! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, they were saying a couple of days ago that there's some sort of problem with a number of accounts and they're trying to get it fixed. Unless they told you they were deleting your account because you were behaving badly or some such, it's probably going to be fine in a few days.

    7. Re:Surprise! by Hatta · · Score: 1

      What's wrong with buying Sims 3? If you liked The Sims, Sims 3 is more of the same but better executed. It's not even encumbered with SecuROM (though you still need the disc). All in all, it's well done. Not my thing, but good for those who like it.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    8. Re:Surprise! by Moraelin · · Score: 1

      Well, someone tricked me into thinking it's got stuff that's actually interesting for nerds. Oh, wait... you didn't mean the trap of reading Slashdot, did you? ;)

      --
      A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
    9. Re:Surprise! by Ihmhi · · Score: 2, Funny

      though you still need the disc

      No, no you don't. Not as long as you know what you're doing.

    10. Re:Surprise! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How did you fall into that trap?

      I once bought sims 2 in a local store but i was highly intoxicated, otherwise i would never do this.

    11. Re:Surprise! by brkello · · Score: 1

      I think you might get more sympathy on the Sims forum than here. Then again this IS the Internet. I think you should view this and be ashamed of yourself: Zero Punctuation

      EA was doing you a favor.

      --
      Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
    12. Re:Surprise! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unless you have the digital version of the game, which still has SecuRom in it:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sims_3#Software_copy_restriction

    13. Re:Surprise! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Five Nines? Can I tell my boss that my server uptime is as reliable as the sunrise?

  3. And in other news... by Dan+East · · Score: 1

    Some EA marketing guy has figured out how to manipulate Slashdot's Firehose.

    --
    Better known as 318230.
    1. Re:And in other news... by FourthAge · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, I want to understand the "News for Nerds" angle here.

      1. It runs on Linux or some unusual platform. (No, it doesn't.)

      2. It's a really cool game. (No, it isn't.)

      3. It's from an exciting game company. (No, it's from EA.)

      4. It's a long-awaited game, like DNF. (No, nobody cares about yet another Sims game.)

      5. It's being released in some sort of innovative way, e.g. no DRM, source code included, etc. (No. See #3.)

      6. It's on the fucking iPhone. (No, not yet at any rate.)

      So, yeah. Must be a slow news day.

      --
      The tao of democracy: the government you can vote for is not the real government.
    2. Re:And in other news... by plasmacutter · · Score: 1

      Some EA marketing guy has figured out how to manipulate Slashdot's Firehose.

      the astroturfing is rife here, I think the meta-mod system has failed.

      I think there needs to be an "astroturf" mod option in both comment moderation, firehose moderation, and meta-moderation.

      I've been a member since 03 and have watched over the years as empty political rhetoric has drifted from -1 over a couple hours to +5 in less than 10 minutes, and rebuttals/fact checks have become buried or censored a-la digg "burial brigade" style abuse.

      --
      VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
    3. Re:And in other news... by hansamurai · · Score: 1

      1. It runs on Linux or some unusual platform. (No, it doesn't.)

      Yes it does, in Wine, rated Gold at WineHq, works essentially perfect for my wife and I with the latest Wine and running in full screen with all effects on. The only thing that isn't working as far as I can tell is anti-aliasing, but I only noticed it at first.

      Not that I believe this is enough to make it on Slashdot either, just pointing out that you're wrong.

    4. Re:And in other news... by MartinSchou · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Off topic, but I couldn't help but notice your signature

      Orwell's "1984" is not about socialism gone wrong. It is about socialism gone right.

      Socialism has nothing to do with changing history, watching everybody, thought crimes etc. Socialism is about (brace yourself) social issues. The idea that as a society we help those less fortunate who need help. Be it because they're young or old, men or women, rich or poor. If you break your leg, you get helped and you don't get billed for it. If you need or want an education, we'll pay for it - which benefits society as a whole.

      Then one can start to argue that it's not better for society as a whole to let people over say 50 live on, but in a democratic society that's unlikely to be approved, given the large number of voters who are 50+. Or that in order to curb crime for the betterment of society we need to install cameras everywhere.

      Sure, but where most people see the opposite of socialism (capitalism) it'll be the same, but for different reasons: "Everybody must be monitored, to protect everybody's property". It's the same goal, just different arguments.

      1984 isn't about socialism. It's not about capitalism either. It's about a society where authoritarian rule has run amok. And authoritarianism is opposed liberalism (but not in the way it's seen by most people in the US).

      Socialism "done right" is what you see in most Scandinavian countries. Healthy democracies, stable rule (ignoring World War II), high taxes but with a high level of social benefits.

    5. Re:And in other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This isn't really surprising. The Mac version uses some Transgaming thing, it is essentially the same thing as the Windows version running in their modified Wine.

      The Mac version of Spore runs the same way.

    6. Re:And in other news... by shovas · · Score: 1

      I was wondering about that sig, too.

      It's important to note that "socialism done right" isn't what most would consider a socialist state. Instead, as with most things in life, it's somewhere in between the extremes of democracy, capitalism and socialism.

      Not everything is black and white. Throwing out the good ideas of socialism is akin to throwing the baby out with the bath water.

      --
      Selah.ca. Pause, and calmly think on that.
    7. Re:And in other news... by Minwee · · Score: 2, Informative

      6. It's on the fucking iPhone. (No, not yet at any rate.)

      I hate to be the one to break it to you, but yeah, the Sims 3 was released for the iPhone. On the same day as the PC version, no less.

    8. Re:And in other news... by theskipper · · Score: 1

      Launcher doesn't work since the nocd crack is required. This kills any type of item upload/download and the community aspect of the game. Otherwise it does run very well even with accelerated animations under Jaunty, Wine 1.26, Nvidia 8800 series.

      Disclaimer: I don't play it, it's for my 11-year old. I highly value my geek card and don't want it to be revoked. TIA.

    9. Re:And in other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Just use windows, retard. Then you don't have to fuck around with wine and beer and weed.

    10. Re:And in other news... by MartinSchou · · Score: 1

      More people need to stop thinking politics is a one dimensional spectrum. The Political Compass is a decent place to start.

      I'll readily admit to weighing in heavily on to side of socialism, but at the same time I'm also weighing in heavily on the side of liberalism. Once you make people give serious thought about the concept of a "liberal commie bastard" you can almost see their heads implode, as they try to console their own ideas of communism (authoritarian socialism) and liberalism.

    11. Re:And in other news... by colk99 · · Score: 1

      hmm so I guess yapple or ea mobile isnt the sims?

    12. Re:And in other news... by FourthAge · · Score: 1

      That's a fair point. And in fact it might be news for nerds if Wine was an officially supported platform, or if there was a native Linux version... but there isn't.

      --
      The tao of democracy: the government you can vote for is not the real government.
    13. Re:And in other news... by FourthAge · · Score: 1

      I would partly agree, particularly about the scale between liberty and authoritarianism. But I say that our interpretations of both the term "Socialism" and the book are quite different. Your interpretation is very common, but with respect, I also think it is wrong.

      I was going to write a long reply on this subject, but it would be very Off Topic. I'd be better off putting it on a web page and linking to it from the sig, so that anyone who happens to be interested can read about it, which is what I will (eventually) do.

      --
      The tao of democracy: the government you can vote for is not the real government.
    14. Re:And in other news... by FlyingSquidStudios · · Score: 1
      More importantly, Orwell was a socialist.

      Every line of serious work I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism as I understand it.

      -- George Orwell, 1946

    15. Re:And in other news... by RedK · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You obviously need to look up the definition of Socialism. Dictatorship and Authoritarism are not necessarily Socialism. Maybe you need to read 1984 again because until you do, your sig makes you look like an idiot.

      --
      "Not to mention all the idiots who use words like boxen."
      Anonymous Coward on Monday August 04, @06:49PM
    16. Re:And in other news... by aftk2 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I want to understand the "News for Nerds" angle here.

      And me, I'm stuck trying to understand the Score 4: Insightful next to your subject.

      --
      concrete5: a cms made for marketing, but strong enough for geeks.
    17. Re:And in other news... by santax · · Score: 1

      Being that the sims is the most sold game ever I would think there are quite a few people out there who DO care about this game. You may not like it, but best sold game ever isn't a title that is easy gained.

    18. Re:And in other news... by drsquare · · Score: 1

      It's the highest-selling video game franchise of all time, and thus is far more newsworthy than every single article about any other game.

    19. Re:And in other news... by Flea+of+Pain · · Score: 1

      Been there, tried that. Took me two days to getting it running correctly. I finally narrowed the issue down to one thing...Vista. I had to install it in safe mode, and modify a registry entry just to download the latest patch for my gf. It would probably run better in Linux through wine. I shoulda tried that first.

      --
      Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
    20. Re:And in other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Coming up with reasons to use wine is easier than I thought, but that was too obvious. Make up a better one.

    21. Re:And in other news... by Ihmhi · · Score: 1

      No no, Windows XP Service Pack 4 (codenamed Vista) isn't that good. Stick with XP Service Pack 3.

    22. Re:And in other news... by FourthAge · · Score: 1

      I have read it many times. I am aware that my sig makes me look like an idiot amongst those who truly believe that Socialism can remain democratic and does not necessarily involve the repression of free thought. However, I am also aware that Socialism has caused a move towards an authoritarian dictatorship in every country where it has been implemented, most famously in the Soviet Union, but also in Britain where I live. I believe that Orwell was trying to warn us about this and feel strongly that it is worth drawing attention to that fact. Even if that makes me look like an idiot. Thanks for your concern. I guess.

      --
      The tao of democracy: the government you can vote for is not the real government.
    23. Re:And in other news... by FourthAge · · Score: 1

      Orwell noticed something about the intellectuals who surrounded him. Like him, they advocated Socialism, but unlike him, they saw the ends as more important than the means. They were willing to accept loss of liberty and loss of democracy for the greater good, even to the point of accepting the Socialism of the Soviet Union.

      His book is a warning about that - "1984" is not the utopia that Socialists hope for, but it is the end result when liberty is abandoned in pursuit of the utopian society. I think this is particularly relevant to present-day politics. It is terrible that Orwell's message has been effectively reinterpreted by those who don't want to see a denunciation of their religion.

      --
      The tao of democracy: the government you can vote for is not the real government.
    24. Re:And in other news... by robow · · Score: 0

      You sure showed Him

    25. Re:And in other news... by mqduck · · Score: 2, Informative

      His book is a warning about that - "1984" is not the utopia that Socialists hope for, but it is the end result when liberty is abandoned in pursuit of the utopian society.

      As far as I know, he never gave any indication of *why* "totalitarianism" comes about instead of the socialism he advocated. Animal Farm was, as we all know, an allegory for the soviet revolution in Russia and what followed, but he didn't try to explain where the original flaw was, what should have been differently. For a socialist, he was very cynical and fatalistic.

      They were willing to accept loss of liberty and loss of democracy for the greater good, even to the point of accepting the Socialism of the Soviet Union.

      Two things wrong with this sentence (ignore the fact that I'm quoting you out of order). First, "for the greater good" is not generally the bogeyman for socialists, Orwell included. The loss of liberty and democracy itself is Orwell's bogeyman which is always against the "greater good". Second, it should be noted that Orwell grudgingly admitted that it would be necessary for a socialist to support the Soviet Union if it were attacked.

      Your sig really is ignorant. The world in 1984 is against everything Orwell believed in and what all socialists consider socialism "gone right": democracy, equality, freedom and, yes, the "greater good" - the good of the majority against the powerful minority so loathed by Orwell.

      --
      Property is theft.
    26. Re:And in other news... by Flea+of+Pain · · Score: 1

      No kidding, or maybe Vista SP3 (codenamed 7), except I have to pay for a working version of an OS I purchased in the first place.

      --
      Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
    27. Re:And in other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was probably one of the most cool-headed replies I can imagine to what was a pretty inflammatory post.

  4. What? by acehole · · Score: 2, Funny

    There's a sims 3? The sims get expansion packs? Shocking, much in the same way its shocking the sun rises and sets each day.

    --
    Be you Admins? nay, we are but lusers!
  5. Sims 3 ... sheesh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There's a Sims 3? Christ. Haven't people grown out of this yet?

    What is important is the question of when is Cities XL coming out?

    1. Re:Sims 3 ... sheesh by Steauengeglase · · Score: 1

      Don't hate the player, hate the game.

    2. Re:Sims 3 ... sheesh by santax · · Score: 2, Funny

      Until your daughter is doing 'games' with a player.

  6. PvP by Krneki · · Score: 1

    Meh, still no PvP option. :/ I want be a bad guy! Like my boss in RL.

    --
    Love many, trust a few, do harm to none.
    1. Re:PvP by spyrochaete · · Score: 1

      They added more naughty stuff than ever in Sims 3. You can assign behavioral traits to your Sims now, including evil, hot headed, daredevil, and mean spirited. Not only do these traits enable specific behaviours but you even get rewarded for doing them. You can be a grade A bastard in this game and it will pat you on the back for it.

    2. Re:PvP by Krneki · · Score: 1

      Walt Disney evil or Fallout evil? I doubt there is a game more evil then Fallout.

      --
      Love many, trust a few, do harm to none.
    3. Re:PvP by spyrochaete · · Score: 1

      Walt Disney evil or Fallout evil?

      I doubt there is a game more evil then Fallout.

      I'd say it's halfway between Dennis the Menace and Falling Down evil, if that helps. :) Mischievous malevolence.

      P.s., KOTOR2 is the game where you can be the most evil, says I.

    4. Re:PvP by Krneki · · Score: 1

      I guess I'll have to try it. :)

      KOTOR2 is an awesome game, but I don't think it can reach Fallout in evilness.

      --
      Love many, trust a few, do harm to none.
    5. Re:PvP by Zerth · · Score: 1

      You can even steal things for a living, I just wish you could get into houses without having to chitchat long enough for them to invite you in.

      I've got some nice spotlights in my yard from downtown.

  7. Just one of the many... by Oasiz · · Score: 1

    I bet that the guys are looking at the clock to see when it's the earliest possible moment to announce it to grab more money. These must be a good way to get some more money from some cut content. Stuff that they planned the game to have from the start.

    1. Re:Just one of the many... by spyrochaete · · Score: 1

      Play Sims 3 before making this claim. It's really packed full of content and options. I'm always interested in the expansions but ambivalent towards the "stuff packs" which give you more clothing and objects to interact with. They seem to have moved that content to their online store which is ridiculously priced.

    2. Re:Just one of the many... by Chyeld · · Score: 1

      Stupid question but can you still create your OWN stuff for Sims 3?

    3. Re:Just one of the many... by spyrochaete · · Score: 1

      Stupid question but can you still create your OWN stuff for Sims 3?

      You can by modding but it was never possible to create custom objects using the game GUI. The unfortunate truth is that with each subsequent major release the modders lose a little creativity because of the increased detail introduced in each new game. For example, Sims 1 was a 2D game so it was much easier to make really wacky and unique objects, whereas Sims 2 is fully 3D which requires much more detail, accuracy, and specific interactivity.

      What's impressive about Sims 3 is that you can change the colours of each item (tables, clothes, cars, whatever). Previously you could only choose from a few preset colours and styles, but in Sims 3 you can add alternative surfaces to objects (so you can have pants made out of wallpaper or a matte leather fridge). The toolset makes it easy to copy the style from one object to another so that you can co-ordinate the look and material of all your decor.

      On an unrelated note there is a Wii game called My Sims which is all about creating furniture and vehicles from basic polygons. It's an interesting idea but I thoroughly disliked that game because it had none of The Sims' personality. The Wiimote makes for a very precise 3D CAD input, though!

  8. Next expansion by wjousts · · Score: 1

    The Sims 3: Money printing edition.

    Your sims get to churn out endless expansion packs while trucks bring bucket loads of money to your door.

    1. Re:Next expansion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      New promotion on www.epicleveling.com due to summer holiday. Fast WoW Power Leveling Level(1-30) - 70 1. Leveling your character from Lvl(1-30) to Lvl 70; 2. 1000 WoW Gold; 3. Epic Flying Mount & 225 Riding Skill; 4. First Aid to 375 Points; 5. Class Quests and uncovered Flight Paths. Original Price: $79.99 Preferential Price : $ 69.99 Time : 7-8 Days Cheap WoW Power Leveling Lvl 70-80 1. Leveling your Lvl 70/70+ character to Lvl 80; 2. 2000 Gold or (1000 Gold + 225 Riding skill); 3. Epic Flying Mount & Normal Flying Mount; 4. First Aid to 450 Points; 5. Cold Weather Flying Skill(77 lvl+); 6. Class Quests and uncovered Flight Paths. Original Price: $59.99 Preferential Price : $ 56.99 Time : 3-4 Days profession lvling at http://www.epicleveling.com/World-of-Warcraft-US,Profession-Power-Leveling,1,3.aspx

    2. Re:Next expansion by nedlohs · · Score: 1

      surely they would bring truck loads of money?

    3. Re:Next expansion by wjousts · · Score: 1

      Yes, but trucks bringing truck loads just didn't look right. I wrote myself into a corner and couldn't be bother rewriting the whole thing!

  9. DRM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    So, what exciting new DRM will be available in this expansion?

  10. Report from the wife. by slack_justyb · · Score: 1

    Not too surprising move considering the first update pack for each Sims has been something neat, but overall, useless.

    The Sims: Living Large Pack - This pack basically adds 5 extra neighborhoods and a bunch of NPCs that would eventually be included by default in other Sims.
    The Sims 2: University - Now you can pack that brat away! Send your kids to college add extra abilities, new career paths. All things told, something you could have lived without.
    The Sims 3: World Adventures - Look's suspiciously like this pack.

    The first pack always seems to be a shake down by EA to test out the new expansion pack system in their product. By all of my wife's accounts, for whatever it may be worth here, the best packs are the date related ones (apparently this should be obvious, so I do not know how I totally missed it).

    At any rate, my wife has chosen to hold off on the Sims 3 until a date related expansion pack comes out for it, so to all the people here who are chanting (endless number of useless expansion packs to bring big money back to EA); the series has been around long enough that regular users of the Sims series have gotten the hang of how this all works, like my wife, some will sit out and wait for their choice of EP to come out. Some want to jump on the band wagon quickly. A few of the users that my wife chats with that have expressed intent on getting the first EP for the Sims 3 are ones that are coming from Castaway Stories. So I think that it all comes down that I do not think most people at EA believe that every person will want to owe every expansion pack (I'm sure that they feel that it wouldn't hurt if it did happen that way, but you have to be real about what you are selling). I think EA is going to put out a ton of different stuff out there and let the user base decide how they want to piece them together.

    Just my two cents and a couple more from the misses.

    1. Re:Report from the wife. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The Sims 2: University - Now you can pack that brat away! Send your kids to college add extra abilities, new career paths. All things told, something you could have lived without.

      You can live without it, but frankly it's lots of fun when you start adding in 3rd party modifications that make the uni students actually behave like uni students, suffering student poverty, passing out drunk, being promiscuous, getting into fights as a result of all of these...

      The Sims 3 is a very different game from the Sims 2, which is probably another reason "to hold off on the Sims 3 until a date related expansion pack comes out for it", because by that time the weirdnesses in play for anyone used to the previous two series (the third is by a different game designer and it shows) may have been ironed out.

      Meanwhile, I prefer the Sims 2 still, although since they *are* different games there is unlikely to be any tragic "I will leave behind all my old sims" like when TS2 came out.

      Unfortunately that also means probably no bug fixes for TS2 going forward. Argh. Stupid EA, their Sims stuff has always been soooooo buggy.

    2. Re:Report from the wife. by FlyingSquidStudios · · Score: 1

      If I were you, I'd be a little worried that my wife was really into dating sims.

    3. Re:Report from the wife. by slack_justyb · · Score: 1

      Ha ha. That's awesome! However, what people play rarely reflect what people do in real life.

      I know, I know, subconscious desire? If that be the case, then by going by her sims game, she wants to be a lesbian with five children, an evil scientist, have a five story house that makes no sense on how to get around, be young forever from her water cooler of life, have a robot friend that was built by her, and ride a helicopter to work everyday.

      Besides the children, any one of those is way too cool for me to say no to.

    4. Re:Report from the wife. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seems like the latest patch addresses a lot of the issues that folks were having with Sims 3 at release.

      And they just announced a new expansion for Sims 2.

  11. It's in the games section, dude by Moraelin · · Score: 4, Informative

    So, I'm curious, what did you think the games section was for? Strictly for when Pingus will actually get more than the tutorial levels?

    And hasn't the previous content of the games section kinda give you an idea, yet? What did you think all those stories about Eve, WoW, WAR, COH, GTA, and the like were about? About ports to your iPhone?

    Basically here's an innovative idea -- and I know it might sound crazy, but give it a thought anyway -- just don't read a story about games, if you're not interested in games. Sometimes the rest of the world is as insensitive as to not filter out the exact stories that Your Highness doesn't want to read. But you can take matters in your own hands and, here comes another crazy idea, just don't click on a link that's clearly about The Sims 3 if you don't want to read about The Sims 3. I know, crazy stuff. But wait, maybe you mis-clicked and now you're trapped in a The Sims 3 thread. Here comes the really crazy stuff: see that Back button in the browser? It takes less time to click it than to whine about why a TS3 story is on Slashdot. Yeah, it blew my mind too when I found out about that button ;)

    --
    A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
    1. Re:It's in the games section, dude by Flea+of+Pain · · Score: 0, Redundant

      ROFL! Moraelin FTW! Mod parent up!

      --
      Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
  12. Evil in the Sims by Prien715 · · Score: 1

    But you don't actually get to *be* evil. Sure, you can practice an evil speech, do an evil dance, steal candy from babies, and even become the evil overlord. But any actual evil behavior (rape, murder, torture) is conspicuously absent from the game.

    Not that EA would want the ESRB rating.

    --
    -- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
    1. Re:Evil in the Sims by spyrochaete · · Score: 1

      But you don't actually get to *be* evil. Sure, you can practice an evil speech, do an evil dance, steal candy from babies, and even become the evil overlord. But any actual evil behavior (rape, murder, torture) is conspicuously absent from the game.

      Not that EA would want the ESRB rating.

      Yeah, this is a game where even the ugliest aspects are still adorable. It still leaves room for satisfyingly naughty behaviour, from theft to fist fights to influencing others to embarrass themselves. What's unique about Sims in this fashion is the fact that your characters can autonomously gravitate toward antisocial behaviour, and the game actually rewards you for giving in to those urges. Even Grand Theft Auto punishes you for things you are rewarded for in Sims, and that game is rated M and even banned from some countries.

    2. Re:Evil in the Sims by mqduck · · Score: 1

      But you don't actually get to *be* evil. Sure, you can practice an evil speech, do an evil dance, steal candy from babies, and even become the evil overlord. But any actual evil behavior (rape, murder, torture) is conspicuously absent from the game.

      "Evil" is an imaginary thing, like the devil. Evil is a fantasy motive. It's not simply doing bad things like rape, murder and torture. Evil is doing those things simply because one is "evil". The bad things may be less extreme, but that's exactly what "evil" is in the Sims 3: your sim having Wishes to do bad things because they're Evil.

      --
      Property is theft.
  13. Fix the original game first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I bought it for my GF, and she's so far been unable to play it much since the game freezes the entire computer. Anywhere from 1 - 60 minutes of playing and you have restart the computer. No CAD, no Ctrl-Esc, No Alt-Tab, no mouse, no nothing. Completely frozen. Although the music plays whatever's left in the buffer for a bit, then it makes a horrible noise.

    The system I have it on is more than capable of playing the game. Their forums are full of this symptom, and the only "solution" is to set your resolution to 800x600 and turn all the graphics down.

  14. Who cares, seriously? I will tell you why you shou by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Really? Well, I will tell you why I should care. Because The Sims3 is PC and Mac ONLY! (the mobile versions do not compare). No true console version exists because consoles couldn't do The Sims and THAT sonny does MATTER.

    Because causes are getting more and more crippled with DRM and even in hardware if Nintendo and even MS now are to carry out their announced policy of no longer pushing new hardware to its limits.

    This might soon mean that console games will the same material re-hashed time and time again without ever improving. Not that great games cannot be made on the consoles, but do we REALLY want business rules to dictate what we will be gaming next? Because then we will end up with games that are the equivelant of yet another reality show.

    The Sims, wether you like the game or not is a HUGE game that has tons of modders and many of the BUYERS are BUYERS who BUY mods. Valve is very nice to support modding in its games, but the financial impact of it is debatable especially to a company like EA. No EA does not exactly make it easy for modders but many a Sims player only bought the game with the idea of creating their own content for it.

    As such the Sims is a reminder to everyone that A: openess/modding appeals to more then just the "small" group of hardcore nerds. B: That PC games can still be a cash cow. C: That games other then MMO's can make money. D: That not every game needs to be a FPS and finally, that releasing a game for the Mac makes financial sense.

    So that is why The Sims 3 matters, not because you have to like running your own private menage of girls wetting their pants (but really, who could resist), but for the fact that this game shows another way for publishers.

    If you ever get a girlfriend, and she complains that you are spending to much time on the PC, just giver her a copy of the sims. That alone means I want to hear about any new releases.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

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

  15. cut to the chase... by sw33tjimmy · · Score: 1

    ...do i need this to set the clown on fire?

    --
    Get Virtual.
  16. Re:Who cares, seriously? I will tell you why you s by Ihmhi · · Score: 1

    I remember stuff like 7deadly sims (a The Sims modding site) back in the day for The Sims 1... there was stuff that was crappy, but there was a ton of stuff that was as good as or better than the content in the game.

  17. The Same 3 by gsmraxe · · Score: 1

    I bought the original Sims, and all the expansion packs. I enjoyed playing the game, so when Sims 2 came out, I bought the game, but it's more of the same, with upgraded graphics. I didn't bother purchasing any of the expansion packs for 2, and the chances of my buying 3 are slim to none. I love Morrowind and Oblivion, but at least there's some differences in those two games. There wasn't much between Sims 1 and 2.

  18. have to agree with the already tag by Joker1980 · · Score: 1

    This is obviously something that was developed parallel to the sims3 (at best) or removed from the sims3 (at worst) but it gives me a chance to rant so its all good hehe. I for one miss proper expansion packs, you can blame consoles and maybe thats true ( im leaning toward that opinion myself) but this DLC shit has got to stop. Slightly off topic i admit but....(and its a big, round full bodied but) Has any1 here actually bought a piece of dlc that they didnt regret (specifically X360). The mass effect addons were nothing short of theft as was the knothole island for fable and the extra skins for street fighter 4 and i could go on and on but i wont. My point is the only to DLC pack that i actually felt were worth the effort was "the lost and damned" and .....well thats it (althought criterion with burnout paradise are supposed to be quite good too) and that actually felt like a good old fashioned expasion pack (cost about the same too). Fallout3 immediatly comes to mind i mean please, weve had four out of five DLC's and what was added....nothing apart from a few maps that are totally independant of the wasteland and a few new weapons and enemys, which are nothing but reskins of existing assests. Dont get me wrong i love fallout but the fact remains that weve had what 2 may be 3 new enemys ( the albino radscorpion is just a reskin as are the feral reavers), same goes for weapons, bar the melee stuff from the pit its all just reskins of existing assests. Four content packs and the only new shit is the hellfire enclave and the super muties that look slightly different, nothing was added to the wasteland at all. If there was one game that could have been a shining light for DLC it is fallout but even that was just a get the money out of your account jobbie, and then we learn there will only be 5 DLC's*....its an insult as nearly all DLC's are.

    *i know there working on fallout4 and are desperate to get it out the door as quickly as possible (given the state of fallout3 good help us) but fallout3 could have lasted for years if the additional content was done with any sort of care for the subject.

    --
    Well, Bart, your uncle Arthur used to have a saying: "Shoot 'em all and let God sort 'em out."