The Sims
| The Sims | |
|---|---|
 North American box art |
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| Developer(s) | Maxis |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Designer(s) | Will Wright |
| Series | The Sims |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube |
| Release date(s) | Windows
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| Genre(s) | Life simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media | CD-ROM (Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Linux) DVD (PlayStation 2, Xbox) Nintendo GameCube disc (Nintendo GameCube) |
| System requirements
Requirements
Microsoft Windows
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The Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It was created by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity. It is a simulation of the daily activities of one or more virtual persons ("Sims") in a suburban household near SimCity.
The Sims was first released on February 4, 2000.[1] By March 22, 2002, The Sims had sold more than 6.3 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling PC game in history;[2] the game has shipped 16 million copies worldwide as of February 7, 2005.[3] Since its initial release, seven expansion packs and sequels, The Sims 2 and the new sequel The Sims 3 (each with their own expansion packs), have been released. The Sims has won numerous awards, including GameSpot's "Game of the Year Award" for 2000.
Contents |
Gameplay and design
Instead of objectives, the player is encouraged to make choices and engage fully in an interactive environment. This has helped the game successfully attract casual gamers. The only real objective of the game is to organize the Sims' time to help them reach personal goals. The Sims has changed drastically in the form of gameplay.
Life Stages
There are three life stages in The Sims: infant, child, and adult. While babies grow up into children, children and adults never age. This means children and adults remain in their life stage indefinitely. Sims, however, can die from various causes (e.g. burning to death in a fire, drowning in a pool, starving, dying from diseases). The Sims: Livin' Large, the first expansion pack, introduces the Grim Reaper who appears after the death of a sim. If a relative of the dead sim wins against him in Rock, Paper, Scissors, the dead sim will be revived. If the relative loses, the dead sim will remain dead and his/her tombstone will appear.
Build and Buy Modes
Each newly created family will begin with §20,000 regardless of its number of members. These funds can be used to purchase a house or vacant lot, build or remodel a house, and/or purchase furniture. All architectural features and furnishings are dictated by a square tile system in which items must be placed on a tile. Walls and fences go on the edge of a tile and can be diagonal, whereas sims and items cannot be diagonal. Items that are attached to walls cannot be placed on diagonal walls in the same way that items cannot be placed up against diagonal walls. The base game contains over 150 items including furniture and architectural elements.
Sims' Lives
Sims are directed on the basis of instructing them to interact with objects, such as a television set, or other sims. Sims may receive house guests from other playable lots or from a pool of unhoused sims. If enabled within the game, sims can have a certain amount of free will, allowing them to autonomously interact with their world. However, the player can override most autonomous actions. Unlike the simulated environments in games such as SimCity, SimEarth, or SimLife, the sims are not fully autonomous. They are unable to take certain actions without specific commands from the player, such as paying their bills, finding a job, and conceiving children.
The player can make decisions about time spent in skill development, such as exercise, reading, creativity, and logic, by adding activities to the daily agenda of the sims. Daily needs fulfillment such as hygiene maintenance and eating can also be scheduled. Although sims can autonomously perform these actions, they may not prioritize them effectively. Much like real humans, sims can suffer consequences for neglecting their own needs. For example, sims can die from starvation if they do not eat for prolonged periods of time. Needs govern the overall moods of the sims. If the needs are not fulfilled, the sims can become grumpy and unwilling to obey certain player-directed commands, particularly ones that do not fulfill the depleted needs in question. This system follows the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, in which physiological needs must be satisfied before other needs can be attended to.
In addition to fulfilling their needs, sims need to maintain balanced budgets. The most conventional method of generating an income is to obtain a job. The game presents various career tracks with ten jobs (levels of promotion) in each. The original careers include Business, Entertainment, Law Enforcement, Crime, Medicine, Military, Politics, and Science. Sims may earn promotions by fulfilling skill and friendship requirements of each level. These promotions lead to new job titles, increased wages, and different work hours. The Sims: Livin' Large and The Sims: Unleashed introduced additional career tracks including those of Paranormal and Education. Other means of generating an income include creating and selling various items such as artworks and gnomes at home, or growing produce at home and selling them at a nearby farmers' market. The latter option is introduced in The Sims: Unleashed.
The inner structure of the game is actually an agent based artificial life program. The presentation of the game's artificial intelligence is advanced, and the Sims will respond to outside conditions by themselves, although often the player/controller's intervention is necessary to keep them on the right track. The Sims technically has unlimited replay value, in that there is no way to win the game, and the player can play on indefinitely. It has been described as more like a toy than a game.
In addition, the game includes a very advanced architecture system. The game was originally designed as an architecture simulation alone, with the Sims there only to evaluate the houses, but during development it was decided that the Sims were more interesting than originally anticipated and their initially limited role in the game was developed further.[4]
The first game of The Sims has several limitations, most notably that children never grow up to become adults, though babies do eventually become children. Also, adult Sims never age (or die of old age), and there is no concept of weekends. For example, adults and children are expected to go to work and attend school respectively, every day. In particular, adults receive a warning if they miss one day of work, but they are fired if they miss work for two consecutive days. Children can study at home to keep their school grades up.
While there is no eventual objective to the game, states of failure do exist in The Sims. One is that Sims may die, either by starvation, drowning, perishing in a fire, electrocution or by virus (contracted from a pet guinea pig, which can happen when its cage is left dirty). The ghost of the deceased Sim may haunt the building where it died. In addition, Sims can leave a household (and game) for good and never return; two adult Sims with a bad relationship may brawl, eventually resulting in one of them moving out. If a child has failing grades for too long, he or she will be sent to military school and also leave the lot for good. There are also more complicated ways of killing Sims, including getting them into a pool and deleting the steps, or putting them into a room then deleting all of that room's doors.
The Sims uses a combination of 3D and 2D graphics techniques. The Sims themselves are rendered as high-poly-count 3D objects, but the house, and all its objects, are pre-rendered, and displayed dimetrically.
Reception
In 2002, The Sims became the top-selling PC game in history, displacing the game Myst, by selling more than 6.3 million copies worldwide.[2] As of February 7, 2005, the game has shipped 16 million copies worldwide.[3] Critics praised it with positive reviews. It has been a success in many ways—attracting casual gamers and female gamers (the latter making up approximately 50% of players)[5]. Open-ended gameplay has been done before in games, such as the farming-based simulation series Harvest Moon, but The Sims has certainly gained popularity for this particular style of gameplay. In March 2009, Electronic Arts announced that The Sims, as a franchise, has sold more than 100 million copies.
Simlish language
Simlish is a fictional language appearing in Maxis' Sim series of games. Inspired by the code talkers of World War II, the Maxis development team created the Simlish language by experimenting with fractured Ukrainian, French, and Tagalog; Sims creator Will Wright also suggested experimenting with Navajo.[6] Debuting in 1996's SimCopter, the constructed language is prominently featured in The Sims series, and, albeit less frequently, in SimCity 4 and Firaxis' Sid Meier's SimGolf. Conscious of the need for in-game dialogue, designer Will Wright dismissed using a modern language due to repetition during gameplay and financial costs for international translation. Currently, on both The Sims 3 and all of the MySims games, the startup screens feature a clip of a Plumbob and the EA logo, along with a voice speaking in Simlish, which are the same "words" that a Sim uses to greet another.
Expansion packs
The Sims is one of the most heavily expanded computer game franchises ever. In all, a total of seven expansion packs were produced for The Sims (listed in chronological order):
The Sims: Livin' Large
- Release date: August 31, 2000 (North America)
The Sims: Livin' Large (known as The Sims: Livin' It Up in Europe) is the first expansion pack released for The Sims. This expansion pack focuses on adding new characters, careers, items, and features that allow for more unconventional and extreme gameplay. For example, sims can transform into Frankenstein-esque monsters by ingesting certain potions made from the chemistry set. Many of the supernatural personalities and themes are added to the sequels, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, in piecemeal fashion through numerous expansion packs.
The Sims: House Party
- Release date: April 2, 2001 (North America)
The Sims: House Party is the second expansion pack for The Sims. House Party gives players the ability and facilities to hold elaborate parties and gatherings in their sims' homes. For example, sims can purchase dance floors, costume trunks, and buffet tables complete with hired caterers. Some items and features such as the dance floor and DJ table from this expansion pack are made available in The Sims 2 via The Sims 2: Nightlife. The third expansion pack for The Sims 3, The Sims 3: Late Night will also feature similar items and features. Interestingly, if a Sim throws a really good party with a lot of guests, Drew Carey will make a guest appearance and mingle with the guests at the party.
House Party was reissued in October 2002, not only to mark the release of The Sims Deluxe Edition, but also to match the box covers of the Hot Date and Vacation expansion packs.
The Sims: Hot Date
- Release date: November 12, 2001 (North America)
The Sims: Hot Date is the third expansion pack released for The Sims. Hot Date adds a significant new feature not present in previous versions of the game - the ability for sims to leave their homes and travel to new destinations. In this expansion pack, the new destination is composed of ten new lots and is called "Downtown". This new feature sets a new legacy for the franchise as all of the following expansion packs for The Sims adds new destinations as well. At this new destination, sims can enjoy various activities such as eating at restaurants, shopping at stores, and going out on dates. Hot Date introduces other new features such as a revamped relationship system involving daily relationship and lifetime relationship scores. Sims can also carry inventory and give gifts to other sims. As with other expansion packs, Hot Date also adds a variety of items such as the heart-shaped hot tub, cuddle swings, and items used to build eateries and shops. New characters such as the blonde bombshell and lounge lizards are introduced.
The Sims 2: Nightlife, the second expansion pack for The Sims 2, is comparable to this expansion pack.[7] In addition, the third expansion pack for The Sims 3, The Sims 3: Late Night, will feature a similar theme of night excursions with a focused expansion in the interactions between sims.
The Sims: Vacation
- Release date: March 28, 2002 (North America)
The Sims: Vacation (called The Sims: On Holiday in the Republic of Ireland, the UK, China and Scandinavia) is the fourth expansion pack for The Sims. Vacation introduces a new destination called "Vacation Island" where Sims can take vacations with family members or with other Sims. This marks the first time sims can stay on lots away from home. In other words, the game can be saved while a sim is on Vacation Island. Vacation Island is split into three distinct environments: beach, forest, and snow-capped mountain. Sims can stay at a hotel or rent a tent/igloo to rough it in the wild. They can also purchase or find souvenirs. As with other expansion packs, Vacation introduces new items, characters, and features pertaining to the theme of vacations. Both the sixth expansion pack for The Sims 2, called The Sims 2: Bon Voyage, and the first expansion pack for The Sims 3, called The Sims 3: World Adventures, feature a similar theme.
The Sims: Unleashed
- Release date: November 7, 2002 (North America)
The Sims: Unleashed is the fifth expansion pack developed for The Sims. Unleashed introduces pets into the game. While dogs and cats are treated as sims, other pets are treated as objects. However, they cannot be controlled directly like human Sims are. Furthermore, Unleashed introduced gardening, allowing sims to grow and nurture plants that could later be harvested and consumed. Gardening is reintroduced in The Sims 2 via The Sims 2: Seasons, and it is available as part of the base game The Sims 3.
In Unleashed, the original ten-lot neighborhood that was featured in all previous games is now expanded to over forty and there is now an option to re-zone lots into residential or commercial. In commercial lots, one can build shops of numerous types and restaurants which sims can visit by calling the Old Town trolley to take them there. The Sims 2: Pets, a similar expansion created for The Sims 2, is inspired by this expansion pack.
The theme of the game is considered to be Cajun or Zydeco. One could compare it to New Orleans' French Quarter with voodoo shops and jazz musicians appearing on commercial lots.
The Sims: Superstar
- Release date: May 13, 2003 (North America)
The Sims: Superstar is the sixth expansion pack of the seven released for The Sims. This expansion allows the player's Sims to become entertainment figures and includes representations of several famous personalities. They can impersonate several great stars like Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, The Beatles, Richie Sambora, and Avril Lavigne. Along with new work items such as the runway and leisure items such as the mud bath tub, Superstar includes a new destination called "Studio Town" in which celebrity sims can utilize these work items to generate simoleans and fame. A few selected items such as the performing stage from this expansion pack were re-introduced to the sequel via The Sims 2: Apartment Life. This expansion pack marks the first time players can follow their sims to work.[8] This element of following sims to work is extensively expanded and reimagined in The Sims 3: Ambitions. Moreover, the theme of stardom will be re-imagined in The Sims 3: Late Night.
The Sims: Makin' Magic
- Release date: October 29, 2003 (North America)
The Sims: Makin' Magic is the seventh and final expansion pack released for The Sims. It introduces magic to the game and allows Sims to cast spells, forge charms, brew potions and buy alchemical ingredients. Baby dragons are also available as hazardous pets and it also introduces a new neighborhood area. In addition, it introduces baking and nectar-making. This expansion pack includes a disc containing a preview of The Sims 2. By popular demand, magic returned to the series in the sequel via The Sims 2: Apartment Life, although the features were not as comprehensive as those found in Makin' Magic.
The theme of the game is Mediterranean and Eastern European/gypsy carnival.
Compilations
Core game with expansions
The Sims has been repackaged in numerous editions. These are not expansions in themselves, but compilations of the basic game plus pre-existing expansion packs and additional game content.
| Name | Windows release date |
Features | Region(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Sims Deluxe Edition | October 4, 2002 | Core game, The Sims: Livin' Large, The Sims Creator (an editor used to create custom Sim clothing), Deluxe Edition exclusive content (includes 25+ exclusive objects and 50+ clothing choices). | Worldwide |
| The Sims Double Deluxe | October 10, 2003 | The Sims Deluxe Edition, The Sims: House Party, Double Deluxe bonus content. | Australia, America |
| The Sims Mega Deluxe | May 25, 2004 | The Sims Double Deluxe, The Sims: Hot Date. | North America |
| The Sims Triple Deluxe | June 18, 2004 | The Sims Double Deluxe, The Sims: Vacation. | Europe |
| The Sims Complete CollectionNA/EU / The Sims Full HouseAUS/NZ |
November 1, 2005 | Core game, all seven expansion packs, Deluxe Edition exclusive content, Double Deluxe bonus content, The Sims Creator. | Worldwide |
Expansions only
There have also been compilations of expansion packs without the core game released in only North America, and some parts of the UK.
| Collection Name | Windows release date |
Volumes |
|---|---|---|
| The Sims Expansion Collection | March 15, 2005 | Volume One - The Sims: House Party, The Sims: Unleashed. Volume Two - The Sims: Hot Date, The Sims: Makin' Magic. Volume Three - The Sims: Vacation, The Sims: Superstar. |
| The Sims Expansion Three-Pack | November 1, 2005 | Volume 1 - The Sims: House Party, The Sims: Unleashed, The Sims: Superstar. Volume 2 - The Sims: Hot Date, The Sims: Vacation, The Sims: Makin' Magic |
Spinoffs, sequels and reboot
- The Sims Online - Online variant of The Sims.
- The Sims 2 - Sequel to The Sims and its expansions.
- The Sims Stories - Spinoff for low-spec computers.
- MySims - Anime-based version of The Sims.
- SimAnimals - Animals version of The Sims.
- The Sims 3 - Reboot of the series.
- The Sims Medieval - Prequel to The Sims 3.
Other versions
Ports
- The Sims and all its expansion packs were ported to the Mac by Aspyr Media, Inc..
- The Sims was ported to Linux using Transgaming's WineX technology (now known as Cedega) and was bundled with Mandrake Linux Gaming Edition. However, both WineX and the Cedega engine are unable to run the Windows version of the game. The original port will no longer run on modern Linux distributions and is unable to accept the various add-on packs intended for the Windows version. It was released on March 12, 2003.
Console versions
The Sims was ported to the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube in 2003. (Originally for Nintendo 64 and Play Station but moved to later consoles) Gameplay is similar to that of the PC versions and retains many of the core elements. Notable changes include a full 3D camera perspective (instead of the original 2D isometric viewpoint), more detailed appearances of Sims, and the introduction of a "Get A Life" goals-based story mode. A number of limits are placed on the simulation to keep within the more restrictive system requirements on a video game console.[9] The ports enjoyed a generally favorable reception, with Metacritic scores ranging from 83-85 as of August 2009.[10][11][12]
The console ports were each followed by a sequel, The Sims: Bustin' Out, and a spin-off game, The Urbz: Sims in the City. These versions incorporate some features of later PC expansion packs, and add a multiplayer mode supporting two simultaneous players.
The Sims 2 was also released on a console version for Xbox, Nintendo Game Cube, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, Gameboy Advance, and PSP.
In 2010, EA announced that The Sims 3 will be ported on next-gen consoles fall 2010 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS, and later 3DS).
iPod
The Sims has three games for the iPod nano (3rd and 4th generation), iPod classic, or iPod (5th generation):
Film
The Sims (working title) is a live action, drama film currently in preproduction.[16]
On May 25, 2007, it was announced that The Sims film rights had been purchased by 20th Century Fox.[17] It will be written by Brian Lynch, the writer of Angel: After The Fall. The film will be produced by John Davis, who has worked on films such as Norbit and Eragon. They said that they are doing to TV show for The Sims Series on Nickelodeon.[18]
References
Inline
- ↑ The Sims at MobyGames
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Walker, Trey (2002-03-22). "The Sims overtakes Myst". GameSpot. CNET Networks. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/simslivinlarge/news_2857556.html. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Electronic Arts (2005-02-07). "The Sims Franchise Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary and Continues to Break Records". Press release. http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2005/feb/1114806.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- ↑ Thompson, Bob (2002-04-14). "Guys and Digital Dolls". The Washington Post. pp. W08. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A23856-2002Apr10¬Found=true. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
- ↑ "GameIndustry.biz". http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=1230.
- ↑ "The Sims Bustin' Out Designer Diary #3". http://uk.videogames.games.yahoo.com/ngc/previews/the-sims-bustin--out-e72277.html.
- ↑ "Sims 2: Nightlife Interview". IGN.com. 2005-04-06. http://pc.ign.com/articles/602/602108p2.html. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
- ↑ "Jonathan Knight on the Sims: Superstar". TheSims3.com. 2003-05-11. http://www.gamespy.com/pc/the-sims-superstar/6549p1.html. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
- ↑ "The Sims (console)". The Sims Wiki. http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sims_(console). Retrieved 2009-08-10.
- ↑ "Sims, The (cube)". metacritic.com. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/cube/sims. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
- ↑ "Sims, The (xbx)". metacritic.com. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbx/sims. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
- ↑ "Sims, The (ps2)". metacritic.com. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/sims. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
- ↑ The Sims Bowling, Apple Games Website.
- ↑ The Sims DJ, Apple Games website.
- ↑ The Sims Pool, Apple Games website.
- ↑ ""The Sims Coming to the Big Screen"". ComingSoon. 2007-05-25. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=20635. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
- ↑ ""The Sims" to move from PC screen to silver screen". Reuters. 2007-05-28. http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2519868120070528. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
- ↑ Gilstrap, Peter (2007-05-24). "Fox brings SIMS to bigscreen". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117965812.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
General
- Nakamura, Rika; Wirman, Hanna (2005-10). "Girlish Counter-Playing Tactics". Game Studies 5 (1). http://www.gamestudies.org/0501/nakamura_wirman.
- Pearce, Celia (2002-07). "Sims, BattleBots, Cellular Automata God and Go". Game Studies 2 (1). http://www.gamestudies.org/0102/pearce.
- Paulk, Charles (2006-12). "Signifying Play: The Sims and the Sociology of Interior Design". Game Studies 6 (1). http://gamestudies.org/0601/articles/paulk.
- Atkins, Barry. More than a game: the computer Game as fictional form Manchester: Manchester Univ. Press, 2003.
External links
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