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The Sims 2 Designer Diary - Part 6
8 jan 2004 - 22:10

"Playing The Sims 2 in camera mode is a revelation. You feel like you are there." - Lucy Bradshaw, VP of PC development.

Read it at Gamespot.com.

The Sims 2 Designer Diary #6

The designers of The Sims 2 explain how the sequel will let you get a bird's-eye view of your little computer people's lives.

Maxis' unusual strategy game The Sims is reportedly the best-selling computer game of all time, but the team has since stopped making expansion packs and has moved on to develop the sequel. Like the original game, The Sims 2 will let you create a family of computerized people, or "sims," and take control of their lives, their career paths, and their social interactions with other sims. But The Sims 2 will attempt to improve on the original game with a number of intriguing new features, including sims that retain memories and actually grow and change over time. The original game lent itself to many different and unusual situations--some completely absurd, others eerily realistic. The sequel will attempt to give you an even better way to use the game to experience these situations.

The Sims Exposed

By Lucy Bradshaw
VP PC development

The Sims 2

Perhaps one of the most surprising things about The Sims is that, besides being a fantastic strategy simulator, it has become one of the most powerful storytelling tools ever created. Even we were taken by how fast people gravitated to this aspect of the game. In retrospect, I guess we should have figured it out. The game had all the classic elements you would need to tell compelling stories: actors, sets, props, and the ability to add your own written thoughts and dialogue to put context to the images you would capture in the game. When we set about designing The Sims 2, we knew that all these elements, and more, had to be available to players so they could bring their stories into the present and future.

Part of compelling storytelling is the ability to immediately take the audience into the action. In the original game, you could do quite a lot to support the stories you created, but you were never completely free from the limitations of the game's camera angles. In The Sims 2, the camera is enormously flexible and cinematic, so you can smoothly rotate and navigate around the scene. You can change the camera angle and zoom in to view sims at eye level. This allows for a great balance between the playability that is crucial in setting the stage and the immersive views necessary for the story to resonate.

Once we initially experienced it for ourselves, we felt we needed to take one more step for those players who really make storytelling the center of their play experience. It was for those players that we decided to completely blow away the old limits and introduced a new way of viewing the game: camera mode. In the camera mode, you can now travel all over the game environment as if you were a sim: run up and down stairs, get behind or under objects, and even get right up into the faces and see the expressions and emotions of the sims who are the stars of your stories.

The Sims 2Playing The Sims 2 in camera mode is a revelation. You feel like you are there. It reveals how much work has been done on the little things in the game, like facial expressions, gestures, and textures on objects. Camera mode is all about freedom. Combined with the pause button, it's an immensely powerful tool for creating stories that, for the first time, have a true cinematic and dynamic quality. Lighting, angles, and even the focal length of the camera can all be manipulated to support exactly the right image and to create exactly the right scene that you envision. Instead of observing the game from a somewhat removed perspective, you can now place your viewers directly in the heat of the action. Genres of storytelling within the game that weren't authentic before are available now to the player: horror, suspense, voyeurism, sitcom, and many others we might not have thought of. Hide behind a potted plant to shoot a tender love scene. Position yourself right under the sim as he or she flubs a dive and belly-flops into the pool. Shoot your sim's reaction to being dumped from over the shoulder of the sim that is dumping your sim. There's actually more freedom in setting up the right shot in The Sims 2 than there is in the real world!

A part of telling stories that has never been possible before in The Sims is a true first-person perspective. Despite all the freedom in camera mode, there's nothing that can replace the air and impression an image has when it is shot through the eyes of a living sim. I must point out that while in this mode, the camera is not under player control, and traditional object selection is locked out. As a trade-off, the images that result come alive with the personal energy of the sims themselves. You can see exactly what your sims see, go where they go, and do what they do. The pictures that come from this mode are sometimes unpredictable, but they have a palpable excitement and a candid quality that make them a rich and vibrant element to the mix of the stories that are being told in the game.

One thing we did know from experience was that great images alone aren't enough to make great stories. Our players needed better tools to capture these pictures and also better tools to manage the pictures, once they were taken. In The Sims 2, we've introduced something called storytelling mode. It has all of the functionality of the family album from the original game but with much more robust story management and display abilities. In storytelling mode, you'll be able to add whatever text you desire to the images you capture and more easily edit these images to fine-tune the tale you want to tell. Using the snapshot bin, you'll be able to browse through whole collections of images and select the one you want to place into your story. You'll even be able to see snapshots that were taken in other houses in the neighborhood so you can create complex stories with numerous locations and plotlines. As in the original game, images that have been retouched in paint programs can be mixed into these stories with ease, so the only limits on the visuals are the ones you set yourself.

The Sims 2Once stories have been created using storytelling mode, The Sims 2 will make it much easier to share it with the world at large. You'll be able to upload and update your stories on TheSims2.com effortlessly and from right within the game. In addition, you can now choose between a traditional filmstrip-style storyline or the ever-popular "blog" style of display, where readers can see multiple entries at once alongside the text that brings those stories to life.

Creating and sharing stories in The Sims 2 is ultimately a more powerful and compelling experience than ever before. What makes us most excited is to think how much more fantastic it will be once the community of our players finally get their hands on the game and its new capabilities. There are extraordinary stories out there that no one but the storytellers can possible imagine. All we have to do is make these tools available, and we know that crazy, outrageous, dramatic, hilarious, and moving stories will start being created and shared.

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The Sims 2 New Screenshots
8 jan 2004 - 22:00

Kissing, spying, a cheerleader obstacle course, helicopters, dorm rooms, and Sims getting busted are all just part of another day here at TheSims2.com

Get them at TheSims2.com

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Nieuwe Screenshots!
24 dec 2003 - 22:00
The Sims 2 The Sims 2 The Sims 2

Nieuwe officiële screenshots!

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Join us again in the New Year!
23 dec 2003 - 22:10

We'll be out for the holidays, so there will be no chat or events until the week of January 5th. Until then, have a safe and happy season!

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Interview With Will Wright
23 dec 2003 - 22:00

"Apropos the season where "you better be good, you better be nice," GameSpot sought out Will Wright to investigate the nuances of the The Sims 2..."

Read it on GameSpot.

Q&A: Mapping Will Wright

By Curt Feldman

Maxis chief, and the brain trust behind Sim City and The Sims, talks up the return of the Sims.

Apropos the season where "you better be good, you better be nice," GameSpot sought out Will Wright to investigate the nuances of the The Sims 2, the Maxis-designed game that rewards good behavior with a good life: raise your kids well and they'll grow up all nice and sweet.

But the game also gives gamers the choice of acting out their bad selves as well--for fun and, as we've seen in The Sims Online, sometimes for profit.

With Christmas just a few days away, GameSpot shared a glass of good cheer with Will Wright.

GameSpot: In The Sims 2, players can choose to live a good life, or opt to live one that's bad. Which direction to you predict most Sims 2 players will choose to?

Will Wright: You know, that’s like kind of a no-brainer. I think everybody tries the bad side.

GS: What do read into the people choosing to be bad? How do the two--good and bad-- relate?

WW: I think by exploring the bad side you’re really just mapping the envelope of the system…you're getting a sense of how far off you can go. The good side is more of your creative palette. For example: Now I’m going to sit down and I’m going to do my favorite family, or I’m going to tell a story, or I’m going to re-create my favorite sitcom or whatever. I think that side feels like it’s a bit broader creatively. Everybody has a different definition of the good side. So that’s probably a more expansive landscape that people will explore. And that’s where people get more imaginative, in a sense, and it also reflects more on their personality. The bad side just a kind of exploration.

GS: In The Sims, players had to dig for ways to explore non-traditional, even subversive, behavior…affecting a homosexual identity, for example. Yet it seems in the pre-release materials for The Sims 2 that you’re flaunting that ability to deviate from conventions from the start.

WW: [In The Sims 2] I think things are a little more obvious and a little more varied. You know, in the original Sims we had some ESRB issues that we were testing--and trying to get a feeling for what we could get away with. That’s one part of it. The other part is, you know, players obviously enjoy being subversive to some degree. And so we want to provide that and let them know that we’re on their side in that way.

With the expansion packs, we got a pretty good feeling of how far we could go in each direction. But on top of that, there are things that we call “design subversion.” There are a lot of things which can be cheats or bugs or exploits or whatever, that are undersigned subversions. These are almost as important [to gamers], if not more so. Players like to know that they’ve discovered things that even the designers didn’t know were in the game. I’m not saying we purposely introduced bugs or anything, but this is kind of a natural result of any complexities of software…that you can’t fully test it.

GS: Does that entertain you, you know, when you find out that you’ve been outed, bug-wise?

WW: Oh, yeah. I’ve been seeing that a lot in TSO, where people are--and I don’t know how they discover these things, but they discover these elaborate animation bugs where, if you put a couch there and a thing there, and you stand there, and you do this elaborate sequence, then that can cause an animation bug. It becomes almost a form of social currency in the game, where one player can then show another player, oh, look at this cool thing I’ve figured out.

It’s almost more like a treasure hunt. They want to find all the different kinds of weird dysfunctions in the game that they can.. And every now and then people find the bugs, and they interpret those as cool failures in the Sims terms. For them it’s like a treasure hunt, you know.

GS: Is game design a naturally subversive activity--or is it just you? Or is that a bit too psychoanalytic…

WW: Well, when you say subversive, it’s just another form of a player taking control. I think for most people, their kind of general aesthetic with games is that the more I control this experience, the better the game is. And I don’t mean control in terms of I can always win by pressing a button, but control in terms of I can choose to go off into an interesting path, and the game will support that path.

This animal we’re calling subversion is really just empowering the players to not hit walls as often. A lot of these bugs we could prevent just by reining in the scope of the game design You know, it’s the fact that that territory, that that landscape is so large that we cannot possibly test it that gives rise to these things. At a fundamental level it’s kind of convergent with what I would call “good game aesthetics.”

GS: Speaking both generally, but with the Sims 2 squarely in our sights, are there dangers in sequelizing a successful franchise?

WW: The Sims is kind of an interesting case because we had all these expansion packs. We were able to incrementally add on and explore without invading the core dynamic or the core game play. [With The Sims 2], we’re throwing everything away and starting over with a fresh canvas. We’ve got a lot of issues around things like the platforms and the performance, having a 3D camera that you’re navigating…challenges for the player and for the developers that are becoming risk items.

GS: What's the primary challenge?

WW: Especially with a successful [game] like The Sims, you have to balance your fear of not dropping the ball with the danger of being overly conservative. And that’s something that I think we’re starting to learn to manage better. In some sense that fear of not dropping the ball can really hurt you, in terms of not stretching and kind of going off in interesting new directions.

The problem is you’re trying to target the current gamers, rather than lead them. What you really need to be doing is leading them. You need to pick which direction you think they’re going to want to go. And if you pick the wrong direction, and they all of a sudden take a turn to the right, you’ve got a mess.

GS: What's the natural inclination?

WW: It feels safer to actually target them and not lead them. But what that really does is limits your upside. You know, it’s probably limiting your downside, too. But if you want the next [title] to be a bigger hit, to really reach its full potential, I don’t think you can afford to do that.

GS: How did you lead in The Sims 2?

WW: Well, I think the camera freedom is something that we’ve resisted for a long time and feels like probably the biggest stretch. But it has some huge benefits. You can zoom in very close and feel totally immersed. You can even do like a walkthrough and be at that level, where you’re actually standing in the house, Sim point of view. You can see their faces because we’re bringing the camera in so much closer. Of course, you know, the kind of cost of that is that we have to provide a huge amount of detail on the characters and the objects now.

That feels like the biggest, most obvious thing that players are going to see. Now a lot of things flow out of that…there are repercussions, things like The Sims’ awareness in the simulation has to be much deeper to support them at that level, the quality of the animations has to be higher. But on the other hand, the build mode is much more fun. So we have much more open-ended kind of creative directions in the architecture.

The second thing for me, probably a few clicks down, is the idea that The Sims smoothly age and have different concerns and motivations and needs at different age ranges. It becomes more of an epic, almost Michener-like multigenerational thing…the story that you’re playing through.

GS: Can the The Sims 2 possibly convert as many non-gamers as the original title did?

WW: We’re hoping that. I think when you look over somebody’s shoulder playing The Sims 2, it is definitely more compelling to watch. So maybe people who had looked over the shoulder of somebody playing The Sims 1, and they saw it, and it looked kind of cartoony and low-res, and they didn’t really understand the open-ended nature of it, I think the same people might have a different impression looking at this. It just looks more cinematic and the characters, their behavior, seem more compelling.

GS: Do you see a danger in spending too much time in this electronically mediated space? The space you are making even more compelling with The Sims 2?

WW: There’s an interesting question about what’s the difference between listening to a voice or reading text, or what’s the bandwidth between two people. What's the actual data bandwidth as we talk to each other? Is it more or less over different forms of, you know, electronics?

But the bigger thought in my mind is the fact that we’re inventing and adapting to these alternate topologies…social topologies, basically. It used to be that you knew your neighbors and maybe your coworkers--the people in your physical vicinity. In some sense our phone network is kind of pretty closely mapped to that physical topology. As we move onto the Net, we have an entirely different set of topologies that are based around special interests and forums and bulletin boards, chat rooms. And online games are their own kind of form of topology. And so we can have groups of friends that I know in the office, and my neighbors, and also ones that are playing this online game with me, or ones that hang out with at this particular website that reflects my hobby, and that I interact with over a bulletin board.

I think everybody in their head has a map of each one of these topologies and where they fit into it. They have local landmarks that they’re familiar with and places that they visit often--and places that they visit very seldom. It's kind of amazing how many of these maps a person can hold in their head.

GS: Do you ever unplug from that electronically mediated map, that web-based topology?

WW: On vacation, I totally unplug. I don’t bring a laptop with me.

GS: Are you happy to come back and plug back in?

WW: Oh, usually I’m pretty neutral about it. When I come back, I’m looking forward to catching up on the stuff that I missed. But on the other hand, you find yourself left with so much more time. I find it refreshing to unplug from it for a while. You kind of forget how deeply you get embedded in it.

GS: 'It' being what?

WW: It’s almost a situational awareness. When you’re sitting in a restaurant, for instance, you are keeping track of people behind you, or people with hot food that they might spill on you. You have this situational awareness. Some of it security based, some of it socially based, as is: Oh, I know the guy that just walked into the room. On the Net, I think people have another, a different kind of kind of situational awareness, especially if they’re participating into online discussions or playing online games. You kind a little map in your head of kind of where you are in relation to this other stuff.

And maintaining that map comes with its own cost.

GS: When you unplug, that's the map you throw away.

WW: Right.

GS: Will, have you ever been in a small plane?

WW: Yes…well, I used to have a pilot’s license.

GS: Thanks, Will, for your time. Enjoy your vacation.

WW: Thanks.

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GameSpot Screenshots
22 dec 2003 - 22:10
The Sims 2 The Sims 2 The Sims 2 The Sims 2

GameSpot heeft 4 nieuwe screenshots!

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IGN Screenshots
22 dec 2003 - 22:00
The Sims 2 The Sims 2 The Sims 2 The Sims 2 The Sims 2

Hier zijn 5 nieuwe officiële screenshots van IGN!

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GameSpot Screenshots
20 dec 2003 - 22:00
De Sims 2 De Sims 2 De Sims 2 De Sims 2 De Sims 2

5 Nieuwe officiële screenshots op GameSpot

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Nieuwe screenshot!
19 dec 2003 - 22:00
The Sims 2

Hier is een nieuwe, officiële screenshot!

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The Sims 2 Chat With Senior Producer, Tim LeTourneau!!
18 dec 2003 - 22:10

The chat is now over, but you can read the transcripts on The Sims 2 site.

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:00:59 PM)
Welcome to todays chat on The Sims 2! Today we have with us Senior Producer Tim LeTourneau (who you might recognize from the Sims 2 preview disk) and Assistant Producer Hunter Howe!

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:02:22 PM)
Hi folks

Guest (Dec 18, 2003 6:02:43 PM)
HEY! i love the sims. In the sims 2, will we have a HUGE range of choices for the furnature? also, will we be able to turn the furnature sideways?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:02:43 PM)
Design mode is amazing, you can't believe how much variety it gives you. For sideways, if you mean, diagonally, some can, doors and windows specifically.

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:02:43 PM)
Hey everybody! Great to see so many fans here today.

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:02:47 PM)
Meep! Slow down a sec.. So many questions!

gip-k (Dec 18, 2003 6:03:38 PM)
In the Sims 2, will people all be bisexual like in the Sims 1, or will some of them be heterosexual or homosexual. If so, can we choose?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:03:38 PM)
It's like Sims1, the player decides. You have them get together with who you want.

MKircus1 (Dec 18, 2003 6:04:23 PM)
Can you marry the ghosts in The Sims 2?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:04:23 PM)
Only while they're still living Happy

gammasims2 (Dec 18, 2003 6:04:49 PM)
Will the Teenagers be able to date?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:04:49 PM)
Of course. What fun is being a teen if you can't date?

alexmas (Dec 18, 2003 6:04:56 PM)
Do you guys have any plans on the entrance (loading) of The Sims2? Is it similar to The Sims 1 with the catchy phrases?!?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:04:56 PM)
Have to wait and be surprised

alexmas (Dec 18, 2003 6:05:28 PM)
Is The Sims 2 team planning to use the same music tracks for the game from The Sims 1or are they brand new, or just optimized?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:05:29 PM)
Brand new of course

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:05:49 PM)
Ok pause questions for a wee bit.. we have lots to catch up on

curly_sim13 (Dec 18, 2003 6:06:10 PM)
please tell us!!!! what is the big new feature???

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:06:10 PM)
We wont be announcing this today in teh chat

scooby_dooby_doo03 (Dec 18, 2003 6:06:35 PM)
Can sims get haircuts? If so how does that work?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:06:35 PM)
You can sit your Sims down at a Vanity Table. Change your hairstyle...makeup...all of that!

HoneyBear (Dec 18, 2003 6:06:49 PM)
Will there be a downtown or shopping in this game?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:06:49 PM)
There are community lots like Unleashed, where you can shop, including buying groceries.

MaxisShorty (Dec 18, 2003 6:07:51 PM)
Please avoid from submitting your comments to us - only questions, and be sure to check first to see if your question has already been asked

alexdulot (Dec 18, 2003 6:08:43 PM)
Hello, one can see dates a little everywhere: February 2, March 14, March 15... for different country, but one still does not know which is the true one

MaxisLucky (Dec 18, 2003 6:08:43 PM)
We do not have an exact release date yet. Don't believe anything you read - the game will be released when it's finished.

Lovely Lady (Dec 18, 2003 6:09:11 PM)
There have been rumors that you have finished the game but your just holding out on us. Is that true?

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:09:11 PM)
nope

arubiana (Dec 18, 2003 6:09:22 PM)
can children be born out of affairs?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:09:22 PM)
Well we do have genetics, so it will be interesting to see who the baby looks like

KoolJezz9 (Dec 18, 2003 6:09:47 PM)
Is there a maternity leave for working moms to be?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:09:47 PM)
SimMoms will have a few days off to take care of the baby. Thank goodness...those little guys are a lot of work for a Sim to keep up with.

Guest (Dec 18, 2003 6:09:56 PM)
one of your screen shots it shows the same couch but they all have different patters, so is there something you click on and it gives u options of what kind of patterns you can use?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:09:56 PM)
yep, that's Design Mode

paiger324 (Dec 18, 2003 6:10:52 PM)
Is the home lots, and the store lots, all in the same neighbor hood??

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:10:52 PM)
yeah, a lot like Unleashed, but wait until you see the neighborhoods

Helms023 (Dec 18, 2003 6:11:00 PM)
I love you guys

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:11:00 PM)
Thanks.

Guest (Dec 18, 2003 6:11:51 PM)
will the baby sims still atomatically be in the little carages or will the Mother sim have to go to like some hospital to have her baby "delivered"

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:11:52 PM)
Let's just say the pregnancy experience is a lot more like real life now. Of course a little shorter

cglass (Dec 18, 2003 6:12:53 PM)
are romantic relationships restricted by life stages? like, can an adult have a romantic relationship with an older sim, or a teen with an adult?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:12:53 PM)
Adults and Elders can get together, but the teens have to stick together

MastaMind (Dec 18, 2003 6:14:01 PM)
can teens get jobs

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:14:01 PM)
They sure can. They don't get paid so well, but they'll get a good start on their career!

Sims2_Lover (Dec 18, 2003 6:14:33 PM)
when will this chat end?

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:14:33 PM)
The chat will go till 4:00 pm PST

HoneyBear (Dec 18, 2003 6:14:37 PM)
Can the teen get a job?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:14:37 PM)
Absolutely, a big part of the gameplay is developing skills and careers throughout a lifetime

QueenKamisha (Dec 18, 2003 6:15:34 PM)
if a white couple are married and the woman has an affair with a black man will she have a medium or black child?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:15:34 PM)
Well, it's a lot like real life. The child might have skin on the lighter side, or on the darker side...it's up to fate. And genetics.

KatCat (Dec 18, 2003 6:15:42 PM)
Will you be able to interact with NPCs? (Maid, Gardner, etc.)

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:15:42 PM)
Even more than interact, let's just say you can get very close if you want to

Guest (Dec 18, 2003 6:17:23 PM)
Will lots be larger in Sims 2

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:17:24 PM)
Yeah, they come in variety of sizes and you get to place them wherever you want in the neighborhood

Sarahcola (Dec 18, 2003 6:17:48 PM)
Can you marry the Grim Reaper? What happens if you have a baby?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:17:48 PM)
The Grim Reaper is not particularly interested in mortals.

PeppieTSO (Dec 18, 2003 6:18:40 PM)
Are you only answering question about the sims2? = )

MaxisLucky (Dec 18, 2003 6:18:40 PM)
This chat is only about The Sims 2. Thanks.

Andrew (Dec 18, 2003 6:18:50 PM)
Can a woman get pregnant by a man that does not live in the same household as her? I.e boyfriend and girlfriend not living together but she gets pregnant, if you get what i mean lol

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:18:50 PM)
This seems to be a popular topic, bet you can't wait to try this out.

caramelcutie411 (Dec 18, 2003 6:20:26 PM)
What is design mode?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:20:26 PM)
This is a brand new feature to Sims2. Most of the objects have various fabrics and materials that you can choose between. It's like redecorating your house

Guest (Dec 18, 2003 6:21:58 PM)
If you play on one main family and invite neighboors over all the time will they eventualy grow older with your sims? or do you have to play on the other family in order to make them grow old

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:21:59 PM)
The aging of each family is under the player's control. So you will have to spend time with all of your families at their homes if you want them to age together

freded124 (Dec 18, 2003 6:22:58 PM)
will the sims 2 have a sims exchange and if so will will it be on the sims.com or thesims2.com p.s this game will Rock!!!!!

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:22:58 PM)
We will have one on the thesims2.com

crankys (Dec 18, 2003 6:23:03 PM)
Why does nobody answer my quetions?

MaxisShorty (Dec 18, 2003 6:23:03 PM)
We have nearly 500 people all asking questions at once, so if we don't answer your questions, please don't take offense!

ultimatesimgod88 (Dec 18, 2003 6:23:04 PM)
What happens if a married man flirts with another girl while his wife is still in the room?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:23:04 PM)
I'm guessing the wife would not respond particularly well.

Tazzyluck (Dec 18, 2003 6:24:14 PM)
I really love coming to these when I'm able to, ty for holding this chat... I'm wondering will you continue to hold chats like this after the release of Sims2?

MaxisShorty (Dec 18, 2003 6:24:14 PM)
As long as there are people willing to chat with us, we'll find ways to hold chat events.

Guest (Dec 18, 2003 6:24:41 PM)
do you guys have fun working on the sims

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:24:41 PM)
No it's awful :). Are you kidding, how can you not have fun working on a such a cool game.

simlovers (Dec 18, 2003 6:26:43 PM)
Everybody loves these chats! How come you can't hold them more often?

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:26:43 PM)
We hold a chat every week, but we try to focus them on a range of games, not just Sims 2

KoolJezz9 (Dec 18, 2003 6:26:46 PM)
If you marry the maid, can you control her after she is part of your family? If not, then how does that work? Do they just go along uncontrolled?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:26:46 PM)
Yep! She (or he) would be part of your family, just like any Sim born into the family or made in Create-A-Sim.

LisVender (Dec 18, 2003 6:26:48 PM)
Will Sims disappear after a fight, as they did in the first game? Sometimes I find it fun to have two Sims hate each other, but I'm afraid that one will "leave for good."

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:26:48 PM)
No it's all different in Sims2. There's all new ways to get people out of the house, or keep them around, even if they'd rather be somewhere else

maxissim (Dec 18, 2003 6:27:27 PM)
can children inherit skills from their parents?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:27:27 PM)
yup, it's part of the DNA

Sims2Fan (Dec 18, 2003 6:28:38 PM)
Is the parent-child relationship more extensive in TS2. I mean in TS1 the parents didn't seem all that maternal or paternal.

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:28:38 PM)
Definitely, the Sims know who their family members are. Even those that don't live with them

Sim's Stash (Dec 18, 2003 6:31:09 PM)
How long until the transcripts will be up?

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:31:09 PM)
shortly after the event is over generally

Alyac (Dec 18, 2003 6:31:12 PM)
Can you please answer this ? Thank you! Will teen sims be able to run away and what happens if they can?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:31:12 PM)
They can and do. It's up to the parents to try and get them back. Of course, in some cases they might be glad to see them go.

crankys (Dec 18, 2003 6:32:16 PM)
MaxisTim,Will the toddlers be able to walk when it feels like it or will you have to teach it?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:32:16 PM)
Wouldn't be fun, if you didn't have to teach them

jumbz11 (Dec 18, 2003 6:32:27 PM)
when exactly is CASIE coming????

MaxisLucky (Dec 18, 2003 6:32:27 PM)
We do not have a release date for CaSIE. When we do, you'll know it. Basically, when it's done, we'll release it.

Guest (Dec 18, 2003 6:32:48 PM)
Can you really veiw the neighbourhood in the 'fly through' mode or is it the same as in the sims1?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:32:48 PM)
The neighborhood in Sims 2 is completely 3d! So you can see things from all sorts of angles.

Schweighsr (Dec 18, 2003 6:33:33 PM)
What will the new, longer marriage ceremony be like? Will there be a delay between the proposal and the wedding?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:33:33 PM)
Marriage (Joining) and Engagement are separate events, so after you get engaged you can definitely set up the big wedding if you want to

Ash (Dec 18, 2003 6:33:50 PM)
WHATS CASIE?

MaxisLucky (Dec 18, 2003 6:33:50 PM)
CaSIE is the stand alone Create a Sim tool we are working on.

pepper (Dec 18, 2003 6:34:53 PM)
can guests propose marriage to members of the active house?? =D

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:34:53 PM)
Absolutely. This was a popular request. You can definitely marry your roommate.

Psychopachick (Dec 18, 2003 6:35:07 PM)
can the sims make 'whoopie'? *wink wink*

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:35:07 PM)
They can make 'Baked Alaska' *wink wink*

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:35:33 PM)
Ha!

hotdate87 (Dec 18, 2003 6:35:47 PM)
what means the "IE" in CaSIE

MaxisLucky (Dec 18, 2003 6:35:47 PM)
only the shadow knows....

Pansina (Dec 18, 2003 6:36:52 PM)
Can the sims make 'baked alaska' anywhere in the house or just in the bedroom?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:36:52 PM)
They prefer the kitchen counters

MaxisMojo (Dec 18, 2003 6:38:31 PM)
We are experiencing technical difficulties, please be patient.

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:38:40 PM)
Ok sorry about that floks look like we got bumped

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:39:54 PM)
So they prefer to make 'baked alaska' on the kitchen counters *wink wink*

MaxisLucky (Dec 18, 2003 6:39:58 PM)
We are having technical difficulties.

Fool (Dec 18, 2003 6:40:03 PM)
Is it because the server had too many 'Baked Alaska's?

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:40:03 PM)
heehee

MaxisLucky (Dec 18, 2003 6:40:39 PM)
We are experiencing technical difficulties. We'll do the best we can to answer your quesitons. Please have some patience. Happy

MZTRINA (Dec 18, 2003 6:43:02 PM)
What is "Baked Alaska's'

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:43:02 PM)
A tempting treat, it's delicious... Actually it's a one of the new foods that the Sims can prepare, but it was probably more fun when you didn't know what it was Happy

aslex (Dec 18, 2003 6:44:05 PM)
IS THE sIMS GAME GOING TO BE REleased on feb 15 or march 15th because everybody is saying those 2 dates?

MaxisLucky (Dec 18, 2003 6:44:05 PM)
We have not announced a release date for the game yet. It'll be released when it's ready.

SimmyGirl (Dec 18, 2003 6:45:19 PM)
Hello. Could you answer my question please? How long are the women Sims pregnant?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:45:19 PM)
We're still tuning, but currently 3 days

SIXAM_MIS (Dec 18, 2003 6:46:51 PM)
Can you choose what kind of meal the sims make such as spaghetti?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:46:51 PM)
Yes, assuming your Sim has enough cooking skill! Spaghetti, huh? I'd say that's at least 3 points.

simmy23 (Dec 18, 2003 6:47:00 PM)
ohh will they be able to make lobsters? or like have a barbecue with friends and be able to invite a whole group of people over? can you plan those sort of things?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:47:00 PM)
Funny you should ask about Lobster. The new food system is really cool. Depending on the sims cooking skill the food they can prepare changes. They can even put stuff in the oven and walk away to do other things.

austinbabe107 (Dec 18, 2003 6:48:01 PM)
When is this chat over?

MaxisLucky (Dec 18, 2003 6:48:01 PM)
This chat will end at 4 pm PST. About 10 more minutes.

austinbabe107 (Dec 18, 2003 6:49:09 PM)
When will the Designer Diary from Gamespot be out - the one about the big news?

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:49:09 PM)
The next diary will be out sometime in January

Shannon (Dec 18, 2003 6:49:28 PM)
Can even a highly skilled cook burn the house down?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:49:28 PM)
Accidents do happen.

Shannon (Dec 18, 2003 6:49:35 PM)
Will different pregnant sims have different sized tummies? And will they have to work out to get their figure back?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:49:35 PM)
Pregnancy has stages and so does fitness. But ultimately it all depends how much much they are eating and exercising

kdogg20i (Dec 18, 2003 6:50:42 PM)
can you put a house on top of a hill

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:50:42 PM)
yep, and with the modular stairs and foundation tools you can have tiered homes. Some of the houses are just amazing

Wildchild (Dec 18, 2003 6:51:28 PM)
When are we going to get screenshot that show other enthicities?

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:51:28 PM)
There is an afican american on the front page of thesims2.com

BCD (Dec 18, 2003 6:51:36 PM)
Can you tell us ANYTHING about twins and triplets, Tim?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:51:37 PM)
Well, twins are when someone has two babies at the same time, but I think you should probably talk to your parents about this

Adam (Dec 18, 2003 6:52:26 PM)
Will bad memories slowly fade away, like burning down the house from food catching light? Or will they haunt sims for the rest of their lives?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:52:26 PM)
Some memories are easier to get over than others. Burning down your house is a bit more "haunting" than wetting yourself.

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:52:35 PM)
No seriously, it's possible to have twins. But they will be rare, just like real life

CoolSim7 (Dec 18, 2003 6:54:01 PM)
Can you answer my question please? Will the sims have long hair and different hair colors?

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:54:01 PM)
The variety of skins and hairstyles are really varied

jumbz11 (Dec 18, 2003 6:54:21 PM)
are you a rabbit?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:54:21 PM)
I'll field this question, Tim. He wouldn't admit it himself, but Tim is a rabbit, yes.

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:54:39 PM)
I am the mongoose.

Ezrianna (Dec 18, 2003 6:54:58 PM)
Maxis Tim What is the helicopter for??

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:54:58 PM)
Transportation, in some of the careers.

Schweighsr (Dec 18, 2003 6:56:08 PM)
Can Sims choose the age or sex of an adopted child?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 6:56:08 PM)
No, you can't...but there are ways to influence the decisions of the Sims adoption agency.

passion4him36 (Dec 18, 2003 6:56:59 PM)
do the sims still speak simlish?

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 6:56:59 PM)
always

BionixWV (Dec 18, 2003 6:57:22 PM)
Will sims 2 interact with SC4?

MaxisLucky (Dec 18, 2003 6:57:22 PM)
You will be able to use SC4 to create neighborhoods for The Sims 2

rebecca1387 (Dec 18, 2003 6:58:06 PM)
What is the best new item in the sims 2

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:58:06 PM)
Too many to choose from. But I like the whole cooking system a lot.

Guest (Dec 18, 2003 6:59:28 PM)
HEY GUYS! Will sims have WEIRD HABITS like nail biting??????

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 6:59:28 PM)
Let's just say, they may exibhit some unexpected behavior if you can't keep them in a good mood

George Bush (Dec 18, 2003 7:00:37 PM)
this is the third time i was in a sim 2 chat why are my questions never answered

MaxisLucky (Dec 18, 2003 7:00:37 PM)
We had 500 people in this chat. We just couldn't get to everyone. We'll be having plenty of Sim 2 chats in 2004.

littlenikki3000 (Dec 18, 2003 7:01:02 PM)
Can Sims out of wedlock have kids?

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 7:01:02 PM)
Yes, they can.

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 7:01:40 PM)
Hey all sorry to say it's time for us to go. =( Tim and Hunter have to get back to working on the game. Thank you all for coming, I wish we could have gotten to all your questions but there are just so many! Bye All!

MaxisTim (Dec 18, 2003 7:02:21 PM)
Bye guys, thanks for keeping us on our toes

MaxisKitty (Dec 18, 2003 7:02:52 PM)
Happy Holidays Everyone!

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 7:03:01 PM)
Bye all. Thanks for coming!

dfs (Dec 18, 2003 7:03:56 PM)
TIM!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!1111

MaxisHunter (Dec 18, 2003 7:03:56 PM)
If only you guys knew how cute he was in real life. The video doesn't do him justice.

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