I’m like 1.5 months too late for this post, but shoot me because I just discovered (2 weeks ago) Sims 3 was coming out next February!! Well I knew it was coming out, but haven’t seen the actual demos, screenshots and the developing list of features until now.
I use to be a HUGE Sims freak when I was younger and actually had time playing but I obviously don’t anymore so I love it when I find time to squeeze in a couple hours of gameplay. The first thing I did when I started my current job was buy all the Sims 2 expansion packs! They’re all installed on my computer but I swear, I’ve only played it like 5 times in the last 2 years and haven’t even touched the University, Hot Date and Open For Business expansion packs. I spend most of my time building houses that my Sims will live in (usually the family is just Boyfriend and I… LMAO), and then like 10% of the time playing before I knock down the house, delete the family and start all over again so you can imagine how far I’ve gone in the game. I should also blame my sh!tty computer for not being able to handle my latest enormous mansion. Oh yeah, I use the money cheat so I can build elaborate houses and Boyfriend Sim and Me Sim never have to go to work although I make my second generation go to work (but I’ve only gotten that far once, 3 years ago). Nevertheless, I still love the concept of the game (or maybe I just need to get a life).
Anyway here are some of the features that be will included in TS3:
- Seamless neighborhoods! I think this is the BIGGEST feature because god knows how long I’ve been waiting for this!
- Real-time access; no loading when changing lots or families, as the simulator is running for all Sims, all the time… so Sims you’re not playing will age/marry/etc.
- Sims now have more in-depth personalities including a list of 75 traits that they can develop over their life time (eg. insane, frugal, loner, mean spirited, hot headed, flirty, snob, mooch, etc.).
- Can buy an empty bookcase and buy books in the game. There are lots of books! [Of course I'm going to copy this feature over because I love reading.]
- More in-depth “Create-a-Sim” mode; hair/facial details, shoes, jewelry, accessories, etc.
- Can change voice/pitch of Sims so you can recognize your Sims by their voice.
- Sims can become obese if they don’t get enough exercise.
- Free placement of objects (can turn grid off): 360 degrees rotation/placement of objects, place furniture and hang artwork on diagonal walls, can move whole sets of furniture as one object (eg. dining room table + chairs), etc.
I grabbed these from this article so click on the link to see the rest.
Over at the TS3 forum, I skimmed through a thread that talks about what users want to see in TS3. All the features I wanted originally were listed, and here are some of them, plus a couple more I found pretty funny:
- Weather: came in TS2, should come with the original TS3 game.
- I love having pets but stray pets wandering into your house is annoying.
- Live-in help (butlers, maids, chefs, drivers, nannies— call me a bitch but I hate taking care of my Sim babies and toddlers because they’re boring and are a pain-in-the-ass).
- Create more options available to babies and toddlers so they’re not boring and a pain-in-the-ass.
- Get rid of NPC’s all together and hire other Sims for NPC jobs. They are “useless, ugly Sims that I didn’t want my created ones to socialize with.” Of course, these NPC’s should be uncontrollable while doing their jobs until their shift is over.
- “Better options with affairs and such. For example if a housewife is cheating on her husband with the mail man, the husband should be able to get suspicious… maybe come home early from work one day to try and catch her in the act, or find a love note from the mail man in her sock drawer.”
- Town parades, funeral processions, flea markets, festivals, etc. just to add some randomness and excitement.
- More control over body shape (height, weight, boobs and ass, etc).
- “There should be a court building where your Sims could hire a lawyer and sue the miscreants that kick over their lawn gnomes or steal away their newspapers.”
- Integrate the Boolprop hack into the game and make it more efficient and simplified. I hate having to enter the hack, click on the mailbox or wherever to use it when I really need it, and then disable it again so it doesn’t mess up my game in the long run.
- Arrange marriages since the game is in real-time, my Sims won’t fall in love with and marry ugly Sims I don’t know about. I know I’m vain, but this is just a game.
- “I also have a problem with it taking 4 or 5 Sim minutes for my Simmies to get out of a chair, on the couch or at the dining table. It would be nice to have more real time play. I mean, it doesn’t take me 4 minutes to get out of a chair and on a bad day, I can still use the restroom quicker than they can.”
- This sums it all up: “The Sims has always been a “god game” and that has been its appeal. So, let me be the god of my game, and give me almost unlimited ability to design my world the way I want it, right out of the box.“
I hope EA actually push back their release date by a couple months because it sounds like a lot of players don’t mind holding onto Sims 2 for a bit longer and I think everyone would want a quality game over a rushed one and February maybe too soon to release a STRONG game with everything they promised (and probably more). I won’t be getting it until 6 months to a year after it’s release date when there will be a good variety of custom content and downloads for it online and patches released to fix bugs they missed and shipped.
… Maybe I’m just saying this because I’ve barely touched TS2. 
I can see so many possibilities for the Sims like combining the original Sims game to Sim City so you can build entire cities for your Sims to roam. You might need a super computer or a lot of time for that, so maybe the ability to download/import cities into your game will be good enough. A more successful version of Sims online will also work better with seamless neighborhoods (like Secondlife) and better interaction… I wonder will EA attempt to relaunch Sims Online again with better gameplay and features?
KATY:
I tried The Sims a long time ago but never got into it. Now SecondLife, that was my downfall. I was obsessed with it. Spent every waking hour on my computer. And got upset when I couldn’t log on because of issues on their end. I think about logging into SecondLife but I don’t want to get sucked in again. My sisters are currently obsessed with World of Warcraft. Never played that one though.
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Hey Katy
The Sims 3 looks so good I’m a big fan myself. At first I thought those games were lame but after i played i really got into them. Have you ever played that game Sims fashion runway?? I think that’s what its called. You put on your own fashion show and designs its super cute!
The reason I’m writing, is that I work for Matchstick, a word of mouth marketing company based in Toronto. For the program I’m currently working on, we are looking for young, chic fashionistas, like you! Most importantly, I’m on the hunt for women who write popular blogs that discuss topics like fashion, health and beauty and savvy current events, with the hopes that they’d be willing to participate in a short survey about fragrance habits and opinions.
The survey won’t take too much of your time. I’d love to get the chance to connect with you and get your valuable feedback!
Please feel free to email me at cynthia@matchstick.ca and you can let me know if you’re interested in participating and how best to get in contact with you.
Thanks in advance,
Cynthia
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Ah I rmb how I used to try to kill all the people I created..
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I’ve been looking forward to this since I heard about it! I think it will be late 2009 by the time it hits Australia though.
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wow. i don’t ever remember the sims looking so real like that… but then again, i haven’t played the sims in years! lol. i was really addicted to it when i was younger. this one looks like a lot of fun.
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I’ve only ever played SIMS once in my life. I can’t remember what it was called. Something along SIMS 2000 or something. Hahaha.
But holy crap! The new SIMS’s gfx has improved by a tons since I last played!! The characters look very real!
I don’t really have patience with these character/rpg games. The only one that managed to suck time out of my life was the evil Maple Story. Though, I got sick of killing pigs really quickly and quit after I hit level 30. Hahaha.
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I’ve been successful with getting rid of my Sim addiction but after reading this post I’m psyched about the Sims 3. EA Games must have some amazing programmers and designers. After the Sims 2, I would have never imagined them making a Sims 3.
You have a nice site. I love the header image. I’ve never seen anything like your style.
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For me, it started out with Sim City, when I was only able to build buildings on a very old compaq station… and then I switched to the Sims on the PC. I find I can’t play sims on the playstation or unit because I get really bad motion sickness. So I think I will stick with the cpu…
I was really addicted at one point… and then I stopped because I would stay and play until the sun came up and then I had to go to work afterwards. I’m hoping I can get it back, or Sims 3 won’t make me sick. But I’m excited to see how it is like ^_^
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I miss playing SIMS. and yeah, it’s better to have a couple than a large family. I am having a hard time moving them all.
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@sarahmarie
I actually tried Secondlife because the concept intrigued me but I never got into it. =(
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@Stephanie
I’ve been waiting for seamless neighborhoods for sooo long. It was always weird that once you enter your lot, there is absolutely NOTHING around it and made me feel like my Sims are lonely. LOL. I can’t imagine how much memory it’ll take to run the game though!!
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@Cynthia
I’ve heard of Sims Fashion Runway (there was a lot of hype about it when it came out) but I never bought the expansion pack and I never knew you could have your own fashion shows… I thought it was just another stuff package. I always preferred to download custom made clothes online.
I also emailed you about the survey.
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@qin
I use to create ugly families and kill them off too when I was younger.. LOL. So sadistic. I had a whole lot full of gravestones, urns and ghosts… most of my Sims died of fright while living in that house anyway. Hehehehe.
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@Lily
There was a HUGE difference in the look of the Sims between Sims1 and Sims2… so expect another huge improvement for Sims3!
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@Destiny
I started playing the very first Sim City too when it came out on an old crappy computer… it was pirated too because my parent’s friend gave it to us (but of course, I have the real version now). I use to play all day too when I was little… now I have no time which makes me sad but oh well, I guess it’s better to get a life and go out.
I also never understood why you’d want to play Sims on a console… wouldn’t playing on a computer give you more flexibility?!
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@Laarni
The only reason I have a hard time moving around large Sims family is because my computer is so damn laggy.
I’m planning on building a super gaming computer when Sims3 comes out (well, it’ll be good for my graphics and stuff too). Hehehe.
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I believe I’ve only ever played Sims 1, which kinda sucked, but I loved every bit of it just the same. I think I may need to blow a lot of money getting this game and all the expansion packs some time..
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Wow the graphics have improved a lot from The Sims 2! I can’t wait for this to come out, but I want to upgrade my graphics card before getting this though. hehe. I still need to get the new expansion pack for The Sims 2. I heard your Sims can do witchcraft/magic in Apartment Life. Can’t wait! Yes, I am a Sims addict. lol
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I love SIMS Bustin Out alot, I like it how I can hangout with aliens lol it was pretty cool. Also, I always flirt in SIMS. While my boyfriend is out of town or at work, I would love to meet other boyfriend or girl friend haha .
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I’ve recently got into TS2 as well – got all the packs installed up to the Kitchen and Bathroom stuff pack – since I got my new computer.
One of the biggest appeals of it to me is the fact that when life isn’t going your way, you can jump into TS2 and have it just the way you want it.
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wow, this game looks amazing. i can’t wait to play it. why did EA have to delay the release date. i’m a bit obsesed with the sims. I just love it.
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Katy
February 23rd, 2009 |
I think it was with the economy and the lay-offs and everything that was happening in February that they decided to push the ship date back. Which is a good thing though because I’d rather have them spend more time on the game and giving us a better finished product. There are still so many features and other things in Sims 2 that you can still play and won’t get sick of for a while so I don’t think I’ll be sad if EA pushes Sims 3 off for even over a year! I haven’t even finished all the expansion packs for Sims 2 yet! =(
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