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1271. Chat Transcript

Written on Friday 14 May 2004 at 05:58 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

A couple of hours ago, a chat was held on the official site about the Body Shop. Darren Futa (Producer) and Bruce Wilkie (Programmer) joined the chat and answered many (interesting) questions. Here are a couple of highlights:

calichica: "when will we be able to download from "showcase"?"
MaxisLucky: "We will be adding that functionality later. For now you can save out your Sims to your own server and share them."

kcstanton: "how many packs are there going to be?"

MaxisDarren: "The plan is to release more packs before The Sims 2 comes out, but we don't have a firm date yet. Right now everyone on the team is definitely focusing on getting the game as great as possible."

ananse: "There only seems to be one ear slider. The only way to get pointy ears is to pick the pre-fab face. Are there going to be updates with better ear sliders?"

MaxisBruce: "Currently, the modifiers you see in the BodyShop are all the modifiers we've created. However, it's possible for us to release more modifiers at some point, just a matter of time / getting them done."

emperorjess: "The preview of body shop only has a limited number of clothes and accessories (ie. make up, glasses, etc.) How many possible outfits, beards, cosmetics, etc. will there be when it is released with Sims 2?"

MaxisDarren: "I haven't counted recently, but there are many, many times more choices in the game. Body Shop is just a taste of the content goodness waiting for you in the game."

Twoyys4me: "When we buy Sims2, if we've already downloaded the Sim2Bodyshop, (who hasn't?!) will we need to delete that from our systems before loading Sims2?"

MaxisBruce: "After you install Sims2, and try to run the old BodyShop, you'll get a message telling you about the newer version, so while you don't *need* to delete it, you won't be using it any longer. The newer version included with the game will be the one to use."

Sims2_BodyMod2004: "Are there plans to allow users to modify/add to sim meshes in the future, including importing custom-made 3D models? If so, what 3D packages are planned to be supported?"

MaxisDarren: "The plan is to add mesh export/import capabilities, but that's in the future. When we do that, we're going to do our best to make them in a universal 3D file format, so it will be tool independent."

theevilwriter: "It seems that we can't make baby skins with bodyshop. Does that mean they'll all wear the same skin like in TS1? And if so, can we still make that skin custom like TS1 too?"

MaxisDarren: "Actually, when you export a Skin Tone, you'll notice that a baby skin is included. Change that skin, and when you bring that custom skin into The Sims 2, he/she will have it."

celtickitty89: "if i want an adult sim to have a beard, why does his teen self have to have one also?"

MaxisDarren: "Good question. When you're creating a Sim, the way you save them is how they will go into the game, so you really only have to worry about what the Sim looks like when you save them. There will be a way, though, to add something like a beard later on in life, if you decided not to give one to your Teen."

Deckmaster: "Why are the clothing files so large? 3mb each that's takes a lot of space on the hard disks.Can't you make them smaller??"

MaxisBruce: "Some are bigger than others - it all depends on what's inside. Things like custom skintones or hairtones have many textures - other things, like makeup, have only one, so they are smaller."

For even more, read the entire transcript of the chat.

1272. Will Wright LiveWire Interview [Update]

Written on Friday 14 May 2004 at 05:40 by ChEeTaH - 1 comment.

Will joined IGN/GameSpy's LiveWire show from the E3 again this year, like he did a year ago. For about 25 minutes a few IGN/GameSpy editors, mainly David Lawrence who hosted the show, talked with the man behind the Sims and SimCity, and they discussed things like Sims 2, the URBZ, TSO, SimCity and more. The audio will be made available later at FilePlanet. Read more for details about what was said...

[Update 15 May, 16:00] The interview seems to be available at FilePlanet now. It's at the moment for paying members only though. Read More!

1273. Body Shop: The Hidden Stuff [Update]

Written on Friday 14 May 2004 at 02:56 by ChEeTaH - 3 comments.

The Body Shop manual and tutorial do not reveal all. First of all, there are a few useful hotkeys that we found:

• F6: Stretch the arms of the Sim/mannequin. This does not toggle back though, so once they're stretched you can't 'undo' that unless you change something.
• F7: Zoom in to the face of the Sim.
• F8: Zoom out to see the whole body of the Sim.
• F9: Show/Hide the control panel. Useful for viewing those parts that are just a bit off screen, or for making screenshots

If you have discovered other hotkeys, feel free to e-mail me with the details. Furthermore, a 'hidden' webpage has been discovered. It seems that it'll be used from within the game, as portal to the exchange. However it doesn't have much content whatsoever yet, as the real exchange doesn't exist yet. Click here to get there.

Last but not least: I've made a small utility which allows you to put Body Shop parts (*.package) files into a *.sims2skin file, so they can be installed in a more user-friendly way. Those files can be easily installed by just double clicking them, which is more user-friendly if you're distributing your parts. Unzip the file anywhere to your hard drive and run the Sims2Packer file. All required DLLs are included in the zip file. You can download it from this page (1.3 Mb).

IMPORTANT NOTE: This tool is not supported by Maxis or EA. ChEeTaH and/or The Sims Zone are not responsible for any damage done by this tool. Support can not be provided, but suggestions are welcome. Using this tool is entirely at your own risk. Feel free to redistribute this program, but don't make any modifications to any of the files, which includes the zip file itself.

[Update 1:50] I accidently missed out 2 DLL files in the initial downloads. The file is now available again, redownload it if you were having problems. I've also posted a version without the DLLs (for if you have The Add-on Handler 0.3.0b or later, or the Neighborhood Handler 4.11 or later) at this page (23 Kb).

1274. GameSpy Interviews Will Wright Tonight

Written on Thursday 13 May 2004 at 22:48 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

Tonight at 3.33pm PST (11.33pm in the UK and Portugal, 12.33am (0.33) in most of Europe), IGN/GameSpy LiveWire will be interviewing Will Wright. In 30 minutes games like The Sims, the URBZ, SimCity and more will be discussed. You'll even be able to ask your questions to Wright using the GameSpy Arcade (Free Basic GameSpy account required). For more information visit the LiveWire page. Click the "Listen Now" link at the top to tune in live to LiveWire. IGN Insider and Founder's Club members will be able to watch live streaming video as well. Click the appropriate links on the LiveWire page for more information. Of course we'll give you all the details of the interview once it's over. For last year's interview with Will Wright (20 Mb), visit the LiveWire E3 Archive.

1275. Sims 2 and URBZ GBA screenshots

Written on Thursday 13 May 2004 at 20:40 by ChEeTaH - 2 comments.

A couple of new screenshots have appeared again. There are 3 screenshots of The Sims 2, and another one from the URBZ on GBA. It's simple as usual, just click the thumbnails below to see the large versions.

1276. The Sims 2 Release Dates Confirmed [Update]

Written on Thursday 13 May 2004 at 19:39 by ChEeTaH - 2 comments.

The release dates for The Sims 2 have been confirmed by Maxis and EA. For the US, 17 September is the date to look forward to. This was posted by MaxisKitty in the official site's BBS:

"The Sims 2 will ship on September 17, 2004.

"We can't wait for you to get to play the game and appreciate your patience, support and excitement. The game team is thrilled with what they've seen you create with The Body Shop and it's been very inspiring to them as they work on the game.

"Maxis has the best game community out there - thanks for everything!"

-MaxisLucky

For Europe, not everything has been confirmed yet. EA Germany has posted 23 September on the official site. This is probably the most accurate date for most of Europe. However, the webmasters of the UK site have not yet received any confirmation from their boss, EA UK. The UK EA press site currently states 17 September as well. Several other official European websites I checked haven't posted a date yet. Once we received more confirmation about the European date, we'll let you know. Meanwhile, the countdown on the right is updated with the latest information already. The Knowledge Base will follow any minute now.

[Update 14 May, 13:15] EA UK has confirmed 24 September as release date. EA Netherlands had that as well at first, but has changed back to 23 September now. Release dates for other countries are not known by me (yet). We'll be using the UK Date date in our countdown (on the right), because of the amount of visitors from the UK we get :-) Thanks to Hikikomori for the tip.

1277. New Poll

Written on Thursday 13 May 2004 at 15:40 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

With the E3 in full action, you'd almost forget our weekly poll. It's changed again last night. Last week, we had quite a deadly poll, as we asked how your Sims usually die. The results are in, and the winner is fire. 38% of the 271 people who voted said their Sims burn to death. Runners-up are the immortal Sims, which got over 25% of the votes. In third place it's the water, about 20% said the Sims can't swim really well. Other results where starvation because Sims were locked up (9%), illness (4%), electrocution (2%) and finally, Sims walking away from home for good after a fight (1%). All the results can be seen on the results page. This week we're on about the Body Shop. If you have something to say about it, vote on the right or at the latest poll page. We're waiting for your answers! Check the archive for a lot more polls from the past.

1278. GameSpy Sims 2 Impressions

Written on Thursday 13 May 2004 at 14:49 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

GameSpy has visited the EA stand at the E3 2004, and Sims fanatic Dave Kosak has written and published a preview of the Sims 2. Just like the other impressions, much exclusive new information isn't given. Nevertheless it's interesting to read. Here's a quote:

"Sims 2 will have three basic neighborhoods to settle down in. The first, Pleasantview, is a racy upscale neighborhood that picks up about 25 years after the original game left off. (Fans of the original game can see the familiar Goth family, one generation later.) Strangetown is the second neighborhood, a bizarre desert community next to a mysterious military base. All sorts of unexplainable events - such as the aforementioned alien abductions - happen regularly here. The last town is a riot: Veronaville, with its graceful aqueduct, is the home of two warring families. There, the "Caps" and the "Montys" have been involved in a vicious family feud for generations ... but that won't stop their children from falling in love. Somewhere a little Sim Shakespeare is rolling in his tiny simulated grave."

The whole preview is spread over 2 pages and can be found right here.

1279. IGN Sims 2 & URBZ E3 impressions

Written on Thursday 13 May 2004 at 14:32 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

After GameSpot, IGN has now also posted some impressions of The Sims 2 and the URBZ. First the Sims 2: there are two previews. The first is about the problems of monogamy for Sims. Even they can't resist some extras sometimes. It's a nice story to read. However, the actual review has some more interesting information. This is just a little bit, about careers:

"There are ten fairly general career tracks in the sequel and Sims will still simply disappear for a few hours each day as they fulfill their career obligations. There's nothing new there. But rather than just getting better pay and hours as they gain levels in a given career track, Sims will gain cool, new reward objects as they move ahead in their jobs. Military Sims will get a neat obstacle course that they can use to train their body. Sims on the business track can take advantage of an indoor putting green, while those who pursue science as a career will have an in-home biotech station."

Furthermore, it also mentions the ability to turn off Sim death. If the editor means it's possible to turn off just again, or death completely, is a bit unclear. Real new info isn't given, and a lot seems to come from the video interview. Nevertheless, it's worth a read. Click here to do so. Finally, IGN too has confirmed 17 September as shipping date for the game.

The URBZ is also getting much attention, and of course IGN has checked that out as well. First take a look at the pretty long preview of the game:

"Urbz also promises a whole new set of interactions. All interactions are representative of your lifestyle, and directly relate to one of the nine cultures. No real examples will were given, but we believe interactions will be even more over the top than those in last year's Bustin' Out. Also, your interactions are likely to be copied by any Urbz you've influenced."

More can be read on this page. Besides that, a new video with in-game material has been posted. It's not very different from the trailer, but a must-have for the fans. For non-subscribers, only a 12 Mb Windows Media file is available, Insiders can also download the high quality QuickTime versions (17 Mb and 44 Mb) from the Video Page. The same video can also be retrieved from GameSpot. Finally, IGN also reveals in the preview that the URBZ will ship in November. An exact date hasn't been given yet.

1280. SimDay

Written on Thursday 13 May 2004 at 13:22 by ChEeTaH - 0 comments.

It's Thursday, and even though Maxis is showing off their latest games at the E3, the website has been updated. Of course there's a lot to do about the Body Shop. In the "Thread of the Day" in the official site's BBS, MaxisKitty has asked fans to recreate themselves in the Body Shop. You can read all about it right here. For those who want to see MaxisKitty (without the curly hair she really has), click here. The other part of this SimDay is merely showing some links to articles we previously mentioned. More information about those articles, and more, can be found in our E3 Roundup. The final update has come to the URBZ Website. In the new "Flix" section you can view the trailer of the URBZ. Make sure you choose either Hi-res or Lo-res at the top to select your preferred quality. This trailer has been seen before though. Finally, don't forget the Body Shop chat with Darren Futa tonight on the official site. It starts at 11pm in the UK, midnight in Europe, or 3pm PST.