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News Archive - October, 2002
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Tuesday 1 October 2002
Sim Brother II - Day 40 (Romance)
Written at 02:20 by Andy - 0 comments.

There is a romantic relationship in the Rich House... but between which two in this tub?

Find it all out right here!
 
The Sims (PS2) Preview
Written at 13:58 by Matthew - 0 comments.
In addition to the many reviews of the two new PC Sims products, there are still a few previews of the forthcoming PS2 version appearing. Guess that's what happens when it gets delayed until January 2003. huh? Still, you can calm your craving for the console version with a new preview over at GameSpot. Here's a little taste of it, talking about adapting the control system to the PS2 pad:
'You'll be able to do everything you could do with the mouse and keyboard in the PC version of The Sims using the PlayStation 2's controller. The two analog sticks let you rotate the camera and move the cursor, while the circle button collapses any walls or solid objects that you have highlighted to allow you to see as much of your surroundings as possible. The square button centers the camera on your selected sim, and the X button makes that sim interact with his or her surroundings. You can fast-forward time in The Sims for the PS2 using the R1 shoulder button, while R2 switches your control to nearby sims. Likewise, your motives, friendships, personality, and job requirements can all be accessed with the D pad, and by pressing pause, you can get to your buy, build, budget, and options menus. Longtime players of The Sims won't have any problems adjusting to this new control scheme, and those who've never played a single game in the series will find it quite intuitive.'
The full article can be read by clicking here.
 
New - Review Indexes!
Written at 19:00 by Matthew - 0 comments.
Chances are that, now that Unleashed and the Deluxe edition are either out, or very nearly out (depending on where you live), more reviews are going to appear very quickly. Rather than clog up this news page with summaries and scores, however, I'm now putting all the review information on a separate pages. The review index for Unleashed can be found over here, while the index for The Sims Deluxe can be found right here.

Don't worry, though, I'll try to make sure I mention any updates to the page right here as well. For instance, I've added the GameSpot review of Unleashed, as well as the GameZone review of both. Be sure to take a look at the pages to see what they thought in each case! :)

 
It's hard to say goodbye ...
Written at 19:45 by Andy - 6 comments.
It is with regret we say "au revoir" to three of our members of staff.

Ryan and T J from "Objects" are both in Exam Years and need to focus on "real life" for a while.

William, who was one of our Lot Designers, has also left us due to outside commitments.

We wish all of our leavers well and thank them for the hard work that they have put in for the site. Their contributions have helped make this site become what it is today.

Good luck, guys, and stay in touch! We hope we haven't heard the last from you.
 
Opening Today
Written at 20:00 by Andy - 1 comment.
  • Interested in creating your own series of "Big Brother" in "The Sims"?
  • Completely stuck as to where to begin?

    That''s where Big Brother Resources can help you.
  •  
    Read More!


    Wednesday 2 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 41 (Tuesday)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    Lucy and Serena appear to be having a good chat ... but is all as it seems?

    You'll have to read this to find out, then!
     

    Thursday 3 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 42 (Eviction Day)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.
    Samuel got to do what the Florida Simocrats wanted to do !

    Find out whether George stays to get his revenge in tonight's report.
     
    Newsflash from The West Wing
    Written at 04:12 by Andy - 1 comment.

    Over the past weeks, there have been rumours about a change in occupancy at the White House following the President's stay in the Sim Brother House.
    These rumours have now been confirmed. TSZ were invited to a briefing issued by the White House Press Secretary, C J Cregg (left)
     
    Read More!

    Sim Brother II - George's Eviction Interview
    Written at 04:22 by Andy - 0 comments.
    George W Bush is the 3rd Public Eviction from the Sim Brother House!

    Find out what he had to say to Will ... and how he took the news.
     
    SimDay - Four Things Today.. Or Not
    Written at 14:08 by Matthew - 0 comments.
    Once again four things for SimDay.. and once again I've already told you about two of them. :) Yep, in case you missed the GameZone review of Unleashed, or the Gamespot preview of the PS2 version of The Sims, you now have another chance to click those links.

    The other stuff, however, is of more use. For instance, there's an announcement about why the Exchange was recently closed to non US-English users. Apparently it's all down to the instability that could occur from installing bits from different languages in the same game. No, I don't understand it either. Here, have a quote:

    'While we will continue to officially only support US-English, we do want Sims fans across the world to be able to spread their creativity around! Our code does support all single-byte languages except Polish, but double-byte languages (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.) are not supported. We will be opening downloads up to all single-byte languages except Polish on the next SimDay.'
    Well, at least they're solving the problem! The full statement can be found here. The final thing is another download for Unleashed.. two downloads in two weeks? They're spoiling us. :) This time it's some new skins for your pets. The download weighs in at 456kb, and can be found on this page.
     
    New Reviews Today..
    Written at 14:14 by Matthew - 0 comments.
    I've just added a couple more reviews to the Sims Deluxe and Unleashed review indexes. If you want to know what Gamers Temple think of the little-improved Deluxe edition, or what Gaming Age think of the new expansion, click through the links above. More reviews expected tomorrow. :)
     

    Friday 4 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 43 (Thursday)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    Having seen George go out of the front door yesterday, today sees another housemate go missing!

    You'll have to read this to find out, though!
     
    More New Reviews!
    Written at 14:46 by Matthew - 0 comments.
    Four new reviews so far today. Of course, you could check the full list (with quotes and scores) over at the Unleashed or Deluxe review indexes. However, for those of you who just want the links, here's a little list of the reviews spotted so far today! More reviews possibly on the way later.
     

    Saturday 5 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 44 (Friday)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    Isn't she cute? But what is she doing in the Sim Brother House?

    The answers are here!
     

    Sunday 6 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 45 (Cleaning)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    What have Nicole and Lucy done to deserve a turkey dinner and a bowl of punch?

    The details are in here!
     
    First New Mesh Posted!
    Written at 10:21 by Jendea - 4 comments.
    The first in a series of new meshes posts today! I'm starting with a simple gown. This mesh is curvier than the Maxis straight dress, with a larger hip and bustline, tapered on the legs and waist.
    The dress is modeled after a maroon gown worn by Catherine Zeta-Jones to the Cancer Society Dream Ball. Both "normal" and Hotdate buyable skins and meshes in the zip.
    The new head is "Mallory" (head mesh by Fionn!).

    Check them both out under: my section Jendea or under Skins
     
    New Unleashed Review
    Written at 19:37 by Matthew - 0 comments.
    Just a quick note to say there's a new review of The Sims: Unleashed to be found over in the Unleashed Reviews Index. This one's from Gaming Temple, and it's quite positive. Of course, if you'd prefer, you could always just click here to go straight to the review. We'd prefer you to read the index though, of course. :)
     

    Monday 7 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 46 (Darts)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    It's back to the dartboard for the housemates, but did it change anything?

    It's all in here!
     
    New Unleashed Review.. Again!
    Written at 15:40 by Matthew - 0 comments.
    Another day, another review to add to the Unleashed reviews index. This time it's from EuroGamer.. a nice change to get a non-US perspective, dontcha think? Anyway, it's not that positive about the expansion pack either - which seems to be a recurring theme from the reviews so far, unfortunately. If you want to go directly to the review, click here.
     

    Tuesday 8 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 47 (Monday)
    Written at 02:30 by Andy - 0 comments.

    With psychological evaluation, what conclusions are reached about the housemates behaviour at this stage of the game?

    It's all in here!
     
    PC Format Sims Special!
    Written at 19:02 by Steve - 5 comments.
    If you live in the UK then there is a real treat available for you this month. Now in the shops is the popular computing magazine PC Format and this month they have gone Sims mad!

    Included in the magazine is a seven (yes, seven) page article on The Sims Online. This includes an interview with Will Wright, creator of The Sims, Sim City and The Sims Online. This seven page article gives you a new insight into the game, with pictures taken from the game to give you an impression of what it will be like.

    The Sims Online has already gone out for testing, I myself was sent an e-mail offering a chance for me to become a test player, however living out of the United States meant I was not able to take part :-(

    If this article does not take your fancy, then maybe the one thousand files will! These walls, floors, objects, roofs and sets have been taken, with permission, from The Sims Resource. 100 of these files are from the subscribers only area of the site, so it must be worth it!

    And if after all that you are still not interested then there are 6 programs also for The Sims on the disk..

     
    Read More!

    New Meshes Posted
    Written at 20:44 by Jendea - 0 comments.
    New casual shirred top with boot leg jeans mesh posted today with two skins included. Also posted is the head which is also a new mesh and includes two skins too. I think Fionn has every possible hairstyle imaginable available already, so I am concentrating on the face shapes. This one is a heart-shaped face with a slight slant to the eyes.

    Check them both out under: my section Jendea or under Skins
     

    Wednesday 9 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 48 (Gnomes)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    Sim Brother has another shakeup for the housemates before Nomination Day.

    Find the day's events, decisions and battles right here!
     
    New house added
    Written at 16:49 by Carrie - 0 comments.
    The Greenwood Estate

    I have added a new house today. It is called The Greenwood Estate and is located on lot 6. There are 2 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms and a family room, along with a kitchen and deck off to the side of the house. Click here to check it out!

     
    New Fairy Paintings
    Written at 19:47 by Bettyjoe - 0 comments.
    The Art Gallery at "Bettyjoe's Creations" has been very busy "canvasing" new artists...And we think we have found a WINNER...so over the next week or so we will be bringing you a series of Fairy Paintings..The first in that series is a duo of paintings which can be found Here. Stay tuned to this website and check my sections often for more paintings in this collection.
     

    Thursday 10 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 49 (Nominations)
    Written at 02:49 by Andy - 2 comments.


    All of the girls are up for Eviction. What lead up to it and how did they react? Also, one of them got a warning. Which one?

    All of the answers are right here!
     
    SimDay: Lots of links and some other things...
    Written at 20:26 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    Quite a big SimDay this week, although most of it are just links to reviews of Unleashed or The Sims Deluxe. One that isn't in our Unleashed review index yet is this one from Computer Simulation Games. 2 other reviews are from the Gamer's Temple, from both Unleashed and Deluxe. To end the list, TSO has been featured at SeattlePi.com. To see a list of several reviews of Unleashed go here, for Deluxe click here. Furthermore, part 2 of the Unleashed Pet Skins has been made available to registered users. It's not a real big download (468 Kb), so just get it by following this link. Also the Exchange has been reopened to international users so you can download even more. There's a new warning message when downloading, so make sure you read that. Finally, an Unleashed FAQ has been uploaded at the official site which answers questions from rezoning to getting rid of unwanted animals. The FAQ can be found here. That's all for this week, from the official site.
     
    The Neighborhood Handler & Unleashed
    Written at 20:36 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    If you visit us regularly, you might know that I've been down with RSI (a mouse-arm) for a few weeks. I'm glad to say that things are getting better again, and I can do some work again. However, there was still quite some work to be done on TNHH and other things. That means there's some work piled up, so I'll be staying a bit in the background for another while to catch up. Matthew will be keeping you updated with the latest news most of the time. Now about my planning for The Neighborhood Handler. As said, I was working on a version that would be compatible with the new Unleashed expansion pack. As it got delayed, I thought I'd still want to release it as soon as possible - or at least something. There is still some work to be done on the program itself, but that should be finished within 2 weeks or so as I resumed the programming work today. I'll then post a simple version of the program, without a big readme, manual whatsoever. In other words, just the program and nothing else. Another few weeks later, a full version with manual, installation and maybe some bugfixes etc. will be uploaded. As usual, the program will be released to the Yahoo! Group first.
     
    TSO: Buy your place in the play-test
    Written at 20:56 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    Want to join the TSO play test, but haven't been invited yet? You can now buy your place by pre-ordering the game. It mainly goes for North America again, there isn't a list of participating retailers in Europe or elsewhere. Also, there's a little notice saying this:
    "Excludes shipping and handling. Outside of North America, prospective pre-purchasers will need to verify participation in this program with their local retailers or verify that participating online retailers can ship to their desired destinations. Again, pre-ordering gets you into the Play Test, and every Play Tester is automatically in The Sims Online Founders program."
    That isn't the only update at the official site though: there's the whole October update. 5 new articles, a MOMI update (about the play test) and a new webmaster pack (2.43 Mb) together make this update. The 5 articles are more or less the usual stuff. One is about "Bringing virtual building to a whole new level", a diary entry of a play-tester, how you can customise your lot's sounds, an article called "Playing with the Property Page", and finally something about TSO objects. That's all for the October Update, and you can find it all at the TSO official site.
     

    Friday 11 October 2002
    The Guardian Meets The Sims..
    Written at 01:50 by Matthew - 0 comments.
    Continuing with the explosion of all things Sims currently in the UK media, Thursday's edition of the Guardian newspaper had two articles of interest. Luckily enough, both are available online as well. :) The more interesting of the two is a feature written by Rhianna Pratchett (who normally writes for PC Zone magazine over here), and it's a brief look at all things to do with the game. Here's a taster:
    'When the bespectacled gaming entrepreneur Will Wright tentatively announced to Wired magazine in 1994 his plans to build a game based around the architectural creation of an average family home, no one, save perhaps Wright himself, thought that such a game would take off. As the years passed, technology caught up with the dream and, in 2000, that embryo of an idea was released by Wright's development house, Maxis, in the form of The Sims, a real-time strategy game where players created and furnished a house, while looking after the needs of a virtual family.'
    Want to read more? Click here then. The other thing is a review of The Sims Unleashed, where they give it four stars out of a possible five. If you wish to read it, look at the bottom of this page.
     
    Sim Brother II - Thursday (SF Party)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 1 comment.

    With a Sci-Fi Party for the housemates, Lucy gets to try out her karaoke skills!

    Find out what she sang right here!
     
    The Sim Brother II House Download
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.
    Now you can download the Sim Brother II House. This requires all of the expansions upto and including "Vacation" to play to the best effect.

    Download it from here!
     

    Saturday 12 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 51 (Fishing)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    Who is the better fisherman?

    The answers and more are right here!
     
    A Blue Urn!
    Written at 02:02 by Sumit - 0 comments.
    Hooray! The annoying pedestal red urn comes now in blue! What more can a sim want? Well, a lot more. So more to come. Check it out here.
     
    NEW!!!! Grey and Black Design Set
    Written at 08:16 by Bettyjoe - 0 comments.
    I am very proud to present this set hot off the design tables at "Bettyjoe's Creations".... I hope it meets with your approval... My Sims find this grey and black ANYTHING but depressing or boring... you can download it HERE.
     

    Sunday 13 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 52 (Saturday)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    The Rich House appear to be having a great time, but how are the Poor House taking it all?

    The answers and more are right here!
     
    New Sofa!
    Written at 18:14 by Sumit - 1 comment.
    How many of us have gotten tired of that ugly lime sofa? Bringing down land values and all. Now your sims can move from ugly lime to spify light blue! This will bring joys to your sim's heart and match with more than an ugly lime green wall! It's all over here!
     

    Monday 14 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 53 (Leaver)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    Who has left the Sim Brother house today?

    Read here and find out!
     

    Tuesday 15 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 54 (Archery)
    Written at 12:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    They're on the archery range today, but who scored this bullseye?

    Read here and find out!
     

    Wednesday 16 October 2002
    Some TSO Updates
    Written at 00:17 by ChEeTaH - 4 comments.
    A few updates about The Sims Online from Amazon. This game will be released at 18 November 2002 in the US. As we can see at Amazon.co.uk, it appears to be released nearly a month later at 13 December 2002. The same probably goes for the rest of Europe. Also, there will be a 'Game Card' box, sold for $29,99, which gives you some play time for The Sims Online (I expect that to be 2 or 3 months). There will also be a so-called Charter Edition for an additional $25 over the 'regular' version of the game. The difference is that it comes with some extras. First of all, you get 2 extra months of play time over the regular package which has just 1 month play time. You'll also get a 'Charter Member Certificate' to 'show off your special status'. Furthermore there's a TSO Soundtrack with the music from the game on it, and you'll get a full colour manual instead of the standard grey one. Two other items are an interactive "Be Somebody Else" Sim Magnet, and a twisty Sim key chain with which you can Mix and Match Sims on the go. If you want to pre-order one of the packages, visit Amazon US (US Only - TSO, Gamecard and Charter Edition), EBGames (Partially US Only - TSO (with or without play test), Gamecard, Charter Edition and the TSO Prima Strategy Guide) or Amazon UK (UK and Europe Only - just The Sims Online). Again, note that the game is still in development and will be released in a month in the US, and another month later in the UK and (probably) Europe. The play test is currently not available outside the US (unless you can get someone to mail-forward the cds), but EA Europe has some 'silvers' that they plan to make available soon. As soon as details follow on that, we will tell you. Thanks to our Sumit for the details on the Charter Edition and Andy for the Europe Play Test info (and also passing on the charter details to me), and SimGateway for the tip from Amazon.
     
    Sim Brother II - Day 55 (United)
    Written at 20:28 by Andy - 2 comments.
    Sam and Serena are talking over the divide, but how long will it be up for?

    You can find out right here!
     
    Shimmer Green
    Written at 23:15 by Sumit - 0 comments.
    Its that ugly lime green couch again but with an attractive design! Its now a forest green couch with a ritzy addition. Included is a beautiful dark blue streak to remind our decent sims that life always needs a twist! Check it out here.
     

    Thursday 17 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 56 (Eviction)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    It's Eviction Night in the Sim Brother house. Who is leaving?

    See who you decided!
     
    New poll
    Written at 02:49 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    As you might've read, Serena has left the Sim Brother house. That means it's time for a new poll again. This week: Will you participate in the TSO play test? As you all probably know, there's a play test so you can play The Sims Online even before it's out. Now we want to know if you're already playing it, if you're going to play it or if you won't. Also, we want to know how you joined or why you're not going to. Tell us by voting on the right or on this page. Your vote counts!
     
    Sim Brother II - Serena' Eviction Night Special
    Written at 05:09 by Andy - 0 comments.

    Serena is the 4th Eviction and fifth person to leave the Sim Brother House..

    Find out what she had to say to Will!
     
    SimDay Report: New column and chat
    Written at 23:54 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    SimDay again this week, and it seems like Maxis is catching up a bit on the past few months - before the release of Unleashed. Once again there's a new object, the 3rd week in a row. This time there's a french column that works even without expansion packs. For just 100kb, click here to download it. Besides that, there are two sites with screenshots of The Sims on PlayStation 2 (to be released in January). GameZone added these screenshots. GameSpy has also added a (rather small) preview with some screenshots and a box-shot (below). Finally some SimCity 4 news: there are 5 new screenshots at the official site (right here). Also, there will be a SimCity 4 Developer chat next week thursday (24 October) at 3pm PST Time (Midnight in the UK, or 1am CET). The main guest will be Frank Simon, who is producer of SimCity 4. Make sure you have your questions ready, and ask them there then. That's all for this SimDay, more again next week.

     

    Friday 18 October 2002
    TSO European tests
    Written at 00:22 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    From SimsZone.de we can read that EA Germany has started to let German people test The Sims Online. There are 30 places in Germany, so there will be 30 people who can test TSO in Germany. All those who are registered at ElectronicArts.de, can take a chance to participate in the test. All you have to do is sign up with your email address - but your mailing address must be set up in your user profile! The end of the sign-in date is 21 October, and you can sign up - if you live in Germany - right here. 30 people will be picked randomly to test TSO. From this news, we can expect other countries to let groups of people test TSO soon. As we've been told earlier, it appears that EA UK has some discs for testers ready. If you can't wait, then you'll have to ask a friend in the US to obtain the game for you, and then forward the discs to you. The time you can test TSO in Europe is unknown, as the release date in Europe is one month after the US. Because the play test in Europe started later, maybe you'll also get until 2 weeks after the European release. However, that's not confirmed. Whenever there's news, we'll report it.
     
    Sim Brother II - Day 57 (4 Left)
    Written at 03:17 by Andy - 0 comments.

    There are only four now... but will Sim Brother show any sympathy?

    Find out right here!
     
    Introducing the Club Chic Line
    Written at 16:46 by Bettyjoe - 0 comments.
    The artisans at "Bettyjoe's Creations" have worked long and hard to come up with this club chic line. The first in the series is a blue deco-modern set which can be used at home as well as downtown or community establishments. It is also featured at one of Bettyjoe Sims' vacation resorts. So, does this make it versatile or what.... You can download it here. Hope your Sims enjoy it as much as mine have! :)
     

    Saturday 19 October 2002
    New PS2 Screens
    Written at 01:58 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    A few new screenshots of The Sims on PlayStation 2 have appeared at the German site SimsZone.de. There are 4 shots which show the similarities with the PC version, but also the differences - as you can see a bit of the split screen mode. To have a look at those shots, click the thumbnails that you'll see right after you click here.
     
    Sim Brother II - Day 58 (Friday)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    The housemates are pumping iron... but what are they doing it for?

    Find out right here!
     
    Halloween Walls and Floors
    Written at 05:58 by Bettyjoe - 0 comments.
    Spooks abound this Halloween and your Sims will find these walls and floors will add a truly festive touch to home or business.. Go here to check them out for yourself.
     

    Sunday 20 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 59 (Runaround)
    Written at 02:34 by Andy - 0 comments.

    The Housemates have a race ahead of them. Who wins?

    Find out right here!
     
    Small TSO Play Test Update
    Written at 02:55 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.
    Until recently, it wasn't possible for Europeans to select their country after being invited for the TSO play test. The problem was that you had to select a US state, but couldn't select a country. However, the state list has been updated and now includes Canada (split up in its states), the countries Australia, the UK (split up into England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and other (South-American) countries. For German people there is a different rule, which you can read about here. The other European countries where The Sims has been released (like the Netherlands, Belgium and others), as well as for the Asian countries, cannot be selected. This might change however, if there's news we'll let you know. Note that shipping costs to these countries are $10 and not $5 as told by Maxis before! The $5 only applies to citizens of the USA, not even Canada. The play test will probably run until the end of November (included 2 weeks play time after the release), so that's just a bit more than a month left. If the play test lasts longer for Europeans (where the game is released a month later) is yet unknown.
     

    Monday 21 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 60 (Stressful Sunday)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.
    What is this strange construction in the battlezone for?

    Find out in tonight's report from the Sim Brother house!
     
    Submissions page update
    Written at 18:35 by Steve - 0 comments.
    It is now possible to submit lots created with The Sims Unleashed.
    If you have a lot (or any file) which you want to submit make sure you check out the submissions page before sending your file in.
     

    Tuesday 22 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 61 (Monday)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    What has Sim Brother got planned for the housemates today?

    Find out in tonight's report!
     
    TSO Play Test for FilePlanet Subscribers
    Written at 03:01 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    Maxis, EA and FilePlanet have teamed up a bit, which is something a bit special for everybody all over the world: FilePlanet subscribers can download the TSO Play Test and so play the game before many others. If you are a FilePlanet subscriber, then you can simply download the pack. It's not a simple quick download though: 1214 Megabyte (over 1 Gigabyte!). Getting it sent on CD seems impossible, as you immediately go over the 600mb limit of 1 cd they have... but subscribers could try to see if it actually is possible to get it sent on two cds. The idea probably is that you download the 2 cds, instead of getting them sent home. If you have broadband, then go to here to go to the download page, or to get it on cd if you don't have broadband (and if it is really possible). A bit more information can be found here.
     
    Stephanie's Special Submissions Series
    Written at 18:00 by Andy - 0 comments.
    The Sims Zone is proud to welcome Stephanie B as a regular guest contributor.

    For those of you who are not familiar with her work, she has submitted excellent walls, floors and houses at The Sims Resource and has her own site called Oasic Inc. Ltd.

    However, to start off her series, she has kindly submitted three exclusive lots to our site, including her unique custom walls and floors.

  • The Sims Zone, which is a beautifully designed house
  • Sim Boulevard Shopping Square
  • Lover's Path Beach Retreat

    Go check 'em out!
     

  • Wednesday 23 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 62 (Leaver)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.
    There is a leaver from the house today... and it isn't just a skunk.

    Find out in tonight's report who it is!
     

    Thursday 24 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 63 (Bull!)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    The Old Adversary makes a return!

    Find out all about it in tonight's report!
     
    Poll Results
    Written at 02:12 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    Last week's poll was all about The Sims Online's Play Test. Are you playing this game already, or won't you? Most people told us that they were invited but cannot play because they're in Europe (21 votes, 25.93%) - even though that changed last week for part of Europe. 16 People (19.75%) didn't know about the play test. Third place is "Yes, I was invited nearly right away!". That option got 14.81% (12) of the 82 votes. The other results are as follows:
  • 8 votes, 9.88%: I'm not subscribed to the TSO newsletter, so that's a no
  • 7 votes, 8.64%: I'm waiting to get invited, and I can't wait!
  • 4 votes, 4.94%: Yup, I was invited near the beginning of this month
  • 1 votes, 1.23%: I pre-ordered TSO with play test or will do that soon

    In total, it adds up to 20.73% (17 of 82) people who are able to play TSO already. The remaining 79.27% (65 of 82 votes) cannot play the game at the moment... yet.

    This week's poll is the last regular Sim Brother eviction poll! Make sure you vote either Dave or Samuel out of the Sim Brother II house. You can vote on the right or at this page.
     
  • SimDay: TV Commercial, chat
    Written at 23:55 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    We already told you in the SimDay last week that there would be a chat with Frank Simon, producer of SimCity 4. That chat is later tonight, at midnight (GMT), 1am in Europe or 3PM PST. Make sure you go there tonight, you can enter right here. The other thing this week is that the Unleashed TV Commercial can be downloaded. There are two files, a big version of 3.23 MB, and a smaller one for 1.08 MB. Have fun downloading and watching it, just in case you haven't seen it already. That's all again for this week, more next week...
     

    Friday 25 October 2002
    Earth & Beyond official skins
    Written at 00:08 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    Westwood, another part of EA, has released the Earth & Beyond recently. As special item for all the Sims fans, they've made three skins for all the Sims fans to be downloaded and put in that game. The 264 kb big file, can be downloaded straight from here. It's a Zip-file, so you'll need WinZip or a different program that's capable of managing zip-files to open it.
     
    The Sims column at IGN
    Written at 00:30 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    PC.Ign has a 'regular' column about The Sims. Yesterday, part 4 was posted. It's tells a bit about the Unleashed expansion too, and all the problems that come with it. This time, it was up to Rick Halle (SimEnhancer), James Sausville (SimWardrobe) and Chad Authier (7 Deadly Sims) to tell what they think of the expansion packs, the bugs, and more. Here's a quote from Chad:
    "'Seems they forgot about us sometimes, and sometimes it's pretty devastating to the community,' he says. 'I mean when Hot Date came out, no user created objects were able to be viewed downtown, until someone from the community not Maxis made a program to fix that problem. But then months later Maxis released a program to do the same thing, but it still isn't up to par with the user-communities version!'"
    Sounds like something very typical... They also criticise the way SimCity 4 was addressed to as Sims 4 in an article in the NYTimes (free registration required), to get better sales for The Sims Online. They also mention The Sims 2 in their last bit, which will probably come out next year (a shop assistant told me, ChEeTaH, when I bought Unleashed recently that it'd be May 2003 for The Sims 2). Anyway, for the whole article at IGN, simply click here.
     
    Original Objects!
    Written at 01:21 by Sumit - 0 comments.
    Finally your sims can have some really beautiful 3D original objects. These are my first of many more to come. They will get better download after download. So here they are 2 lovely ultra-modern table lamps! All here.

    And now for the best part. I will take requests for objects. Now I have just started so please for right now just send requests for objects that are one-tiled (except recolorings, it can be any size for that). Recolored requests will appear faster and also I specialize with modular things and can get very creative with it :)
    Email requests here.
     
    Sim Brother II - Day 64 (Thursday)
    Written at 03:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    With just two weeks to go and an eviction poll running, the Housemates are waiting to see who is coming back to join them to see the show through to the end.

    Find out all who it is right here!
     

    Saturday 26 October 2002
    New cheat found: Nessie
    Written at 00:21 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    A nice news bit from SimsZone.de: apparantly Nessie has moved to SimCity to swim around there (in Unleashed). Some might have already seen it, but if you haven't then it might be worth a try. In the neighborhood screen, press Control+Shift+C (all at the same time), release them and type 'Nessie' (without quotations). Press enter and Nessie will come by in your neighborhood. To see a screenshot of it, click here. Thanks to SimsZone.de for this news.
     
    Sim Brother II - Day 65 (Friday)
    Written at 03:00 by Andy - 0 comments.
    More Sofas
    Written at 17:51 by Sumit - 0 comments.
    The invasion of the sofas has come. Two more sofas have been added to our sims streets. Part of the No Lime Act. All over here!

    Remember I am taking requests if you send an e-mail.
     

    Sunday 27 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 66 (Saturday)
    Written at 02:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    Back in the house, what does Sam have to say to Sim Brother?

    It's all in tonight's report!
     
    The Neighborhood Handler 4.0 RC1 out
    Written at 23:44 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    Just a couple of minutes ago, I released The Neighborhood Handler 4.0 RC1 (Release Candidate). This version is a version that is close to the final. A few bugs may have to be polished out, but as far as I know everything is working properly. But: only group members can download it yet. For those who haven't registered there yet, it's not too late. Visit the group site and register. You will immediately get an email with the download instructions (in the PS). And why you should download this new version? Here are some of the new functions:
    • Zipping and password-protecting back-ups is now possible
    • You can now also enter details (name and comments) for regular neighborhoods
    • You can now have up to 99 back-ups and 99 regular neighborhoods, a total of 198 neighborhoods
    • Support for the latest expansion pack, Unleashed, has been added.
    A full list of updates is in the included readme file. Please note that this version is yet undocumented - i.e. the manual has not been updated and there's not a real decent readme file. Also, the DLL files of The Neighborhood Handler 3.8 are required. However, I can give support on it and you can email me with any questions you have about it. If you want to download it now, then join the group (for free). If you can wait a week, then you don't have to join as the program will be available to everybody next week, as a free download. For more information about the program, or to download the required DLL files, visit the website. For questions, email me.
     

    Monday 28 October 2002
    Sorry to lose you, Carrie
    Written at 00:57 by Andy - 1 comment.
    It is with regret that we say farewell to Carrie who has worked as one of our object designers for the past year. In that time, she has produced a lot of objects and also worked outside her remit producing skins, walls and buildings.

    However, Carrie is not deserting the Sims Community as she is moving on to better things and the works of the "Holsimer Corporation" can now be found at Sims Match where she is the Co-Webmaster. She has also become Co-webmaster for RCT Match and we wish her well.

    Sumit has now taken her place as Object Designer, which means we now have a Vacancy for a Walls/Floor Designer.
     
    Sim Brother II - Day 67
    Written at 01:00 by Andy - 0 comments.
    Can Nicole tame fluffly enough to make her want to be part of the house?

    Find out in tonight's report how she got on!
     
    Halloween Update!
    Written at 03:56 by Sumit - 0 comments.
    Be forewarn Halloween is coming! And to celebrate it lets kick off with two Halloween musts: A pumpkin and a witch hat! More is on its way! Find it all over here!

    Wouldn't it be great if you really wanted your sims to have something special this Halloween yet you could not find it? Well why not request it? Whta do you have to loose?

    Requests here.
     

    Tuesday 29 October 2002
    Official Dutch site launching soon
    Written at 00:02 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    From EAGames.nl we (well, everybody who understands Dutch) can read that there will soon be an official site for The Sims in Dutch. This is nice news for the Dutch-speaking fans, as there hasn't been a properly translated official site for the game in Dutch so far. There will be downloads, contests, the latest sims news, and later on it will be expanded with a forum and the ability to run your own diary for your Sims. This website will launch 1 November (next friday), probably (but still unconfirmed) at www.thesims.nl. That shows the official site's homepage now, but who knows that might change later. The Netherlands is following many other countries which got their own translated versions a few months ago. Unfortunately there's no possibility of joining the TSO play test in The Netherlands or Belgium yet, even though the game will be released there. Maybe a special action will be launched at the launch of the website, giving the fans there also the ability to play test TSO.
     
    GameSpy Unleashed review
    Written at 00:16 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    This time, GameSpy has reviewed Unleashed. Here's just a small snippet:
    "Electronic Arts has been quick to milk the success of the franchise with a seemingly endless parade of expansion packs. Even at $30 a pop, they, too, top the charts. The Sims Unleashed is the latest addition to the Sims family. Despite a couple of snags, it's a worthwhile add-on to anyone who can't get enough of the continually surprising world of those tiny digital people."
    The total score is 85. The main pros are the expanded neighborhood, the new pets, but the large number of (small) bugs and the long loading times make the opinion worse than it could've been. Also the clockwork is a con; it takes too long to do some actions and it can be very frustrating according to the reviewer. The bug of water flowing under objects is not mentioned though. The bad pathing problems (e.g. Sims "spinning in place" to sit down - or did they learn that from the dogs?) are mentioned though.

    The whole review can be read here. For more reviews, visit our review index where you can now also find a link to this review.
     
    Sim Brother II - Day 68 (Monday)
    Written at 01:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    It might look like these two are close, but what is the score between this week's two nominees?

    It's all in here!
     

    Wednesday 30 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 69 (Work)
    Written at 01:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    There is work for all of the residents of the house ... including Fluffly.

    Find out what it is right here!
     
    EA increases profit
    Written at 23:19 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    EA, the company which Maxis (the creators of The Sims) is a division of, has done some very good business. Their profit over the third quarter of 2002 had increased with 89% to $453 million compared to the same quarter last year ($250 million then). The main money-making games were Madden NFL 2003, NCAA Football 2003, Medal of Honor Frontline and - of course - The Sims. EA also expects to release 35 new titles for the holidays - the most ever. Those games will be released over 75 countries and in 20 different languages. One of them being The Sims Online. Some nice facts to know are that EA had five op the top selling games in the US charts of PC games, including The Sims and the expansion packs Livin' Large and Vacation. Note that Unleashed wasn't released in that time period yet, as the third quarter ended 30 September. The total of The Sims 'units' sold so far are 18 million. Some more financial (and other) figures can be found in the full press release (a MS-Word document). Now why coiuld Europeans never get a rebate for The Sims Deluxe..?
     

    Thursday 31 October 2002
    Sim Brother II - Day 70 (The Weakest Sim)
    Written at 01:00 by Andy - 0 comments.

    One of these four has become a lot richer today. Another one will be leaving tonight.

    Find all the facts out right here!
     
    Sim(City)Day
    Written at 20:35 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.
    This week there's quite a bit of SimCity news at the site of The Sims. One of those things is the chat transcript of last week's chat. Have a look at this question:
    "'Do cars appear and disappear like in SC3, or do they actually go places?'
    'One of my favorite things in SC4 is the traffic... it's not one for one with the population, but instead is a represantive model of the traffic patterns in your city you will actually see traffic jams occuring at different times of the day as people commute to and from work of course, if you're a kind and considerate mayor (which all of you are, I'm sure :) you'll help your Sims out by providing alternate means for them to get to work...or shopping...or....'
    "
    To read the whole thing, visit this page. The other thing from SimCity.com is that there's a new fansite section along with a fansite pack. Now I can't find the fansite pack while browsing at the site (is that typical for Maxis?), but the list of fansites is there... it's not a real big list though. It can and should be found on this page.

    The most interesting thing though, is the announcement of a patch for Unleashed. Let's hope it doesn't take them as long as the Hot Date patch, especially for 'international' users. The fixes are pretty nice though. You shouldn't be getting any flooding under objects anymore, Sims should keep their bought clothes, they should be able to watch TV sitting again, and they shouldn't be making themselves dizzy by spinning around a lot anymore. Also, some memory leaks are supposed to be fixed. What bugs we get in return isn't mentioned, but the full list of fixes is at this page. That's all for this week, more in one week.