Exclusive The Sims 2 Q&A Feature

The Sims, which is a genre creator, has now appeared on many formats and goes from strength to strength. As the game evolves changes are made and new and interesting innovations are added to ensure the brand continues. Sims 2, for the first time, sees players control their Sims over an entire lifetime. Every choice that is made has a relevant and dramatic effect on the life of a Sim. More life-like Sims, all-new game play, and the groundbreaking addition of genetics, with the DNA of Sims passed down through generations, gives players a more vivid, realistic, and in-depth Sims experience. All of this takes place in a new, amazingly life-like 3D world. Derek dela Fuente spoke with Lucy Bradshaw, Vice President in Charge of PC Development, who answered the questions put to her.

TVG: When you sat down to create Sims 2 you must have had some radical ideas in mind. So what was the vision? 

The design vision was centred on the Sims themselves. One of the first questions we posed to ourselves was, âHow can we make our Sims even more believable and engaging?â We recognized that players projected stories on their Sims and we wanted to even further enable this pastime with the game and game play. One key element was to give the Sims real lives. They needed to be able to grow up and experience all of the chaos and mayhem that comes at each stage of life. The fun of the relationships Sims could have across generations also inspired our design thinking. Just about everyone can relate to the annoying little brother, the angst of dating in the teen years and more. We knew there would be a ton of fun in exploring new game play around having the Sims grow up.

TVG: You now control The Sims over a lifetime. How radically will this change the game in terms of feel and ideas? Can you highlight one aspect of the game that will change pertaining to this and how involved can the game get with a lifetime on offer? 

This will affect the new game big time! Sims change over their lifetime. Playing a teen Sim requires a different strategy than playing an adult Sim. The idea of playing a Sim from cradle to old age and seeing the next generation of a family unfold is a big new change to the long term game play. An example of how the player will feel the game play change can be seen in the transition for Child to Teen. The children are very dependent upon their family for their development. We have split the social needs of the Sims into Family and Friend. The children look to their families to fulfil this motive. However, when they become teenagers that need shifts and friends become far more important. The player will continually have to change their strategies for playing each individual Sim as it moves through his or her life. 

TVG: How will the player understand about the DNA and genetics of the cast and how will they be able to change of manipulate this aspect, if at all? To add, there are many people researching and working on very deep and detailed AI engines with neurons, etc., do you ever bring in outside help or look into this area to assist the advancement of the Sims? 

When players create a Sim they have a great set of tools that allow them to make very unique Sims, from their looks to their personalities and aspirations. Sims pass on not only their physical characteristics but also their personality traits to their offspring. Over time, as you play the game you can play generations of the same family. Some physical characteristics are dominant, and youâll see these through a family resemblance of all of the Sims of the same family. It is really fun to see where the extended family of a specific Sim lives in the neighbourhood, or even open up that Simsâ family tree and see it all laid out right in front of you. 

You can even experiment with the DNA in the Create A Sim where you can create the offspring of two adult Sims and see how their genes combine. Itâs incredibly powerful to see what the child of a pair of Sims will look like. Weâve even gone as far as allowing some of the custom content to get passed along as well. We experimented with creating some âskinsâ of Alien-like Sims and then introducing them as the Dad of a Sim. What fun!

We do consult experts all of the time, particularly in the realm of personalities for our Sims. 

TVG: Could you expand on 'life big momentsâ along with the âlife scoreâ?

In The Sims 2 our Sims grow up, have memories and are much more aware of their surroundings and past. This allowed us to have each Sim have a sense of personal history. The events that the player exposes them to over the course of their lifetime are very much a part of who that Sim becomes. Events like their first crush, or the sting of a failed first kiss attempt. Even their first job and promotion have both an immediate and lasting effect on a Sim. Because these events affect their mood and behaviour, they can become more set in their ways over their lifetime. If you have created a shy Sim and have pushed her into failed attempts at love, you will see her become even shyer over time. Sims are, however, inventive and find unique ways of expressing themselves no matter who they are. They are always surprising. 

TVG: It has been mentioned that the cast is now more intelligent and more responsive to other cast members and the surroundings. Can you give examples? Is the AI and awareness of the cast always a big focus? 

Sims now have not only memories and greater awareness, but they behave uniquely based on their personalities. If you, as the player, ask a sloppy Sim to clean up, youâll know it is not their first choice of activities. Theyâll do it but they will let you know that it does not make them happy. 

These are the more extreme elements of our new Sims behaviour. There is a ton of nuances that go into making Sims more believable. They react to events around them. They are attracted to Sims based on their own tastes. They are interested in activities based on not only their personality and age but also their current mood. 

TVG: You have created a new 3D engine for the game. What aspect of the 3D engine is a real step forward and how important is it to constantly advance technology?

The Sims look so much better, sexier, and they change over time. That is one advantage of the new engine. The overall effect is what is compelling. We have put in so much more depth. The scenes from the neighbourhood from the houses to the Sims are full of detail. We can get closer to the action and this is a lot of fun. The dynamic lighting of a scene can make it much more dramatic. 

Another huge area that this impacts is the building experience. You can modify the terrain, and build your Simsâ house on a hill, complete with decks, foundations and multiple stories. When you decorate their house, you can enter design mode and select new elements for almost everything in the catalogue.

TVG: What kind of new and improved facial and body movement animations are there, and how do physical characteristics, even traits, of a character change, as they get older?

This is a vast area of enhancement from the previous engine. The Sims have facial animations and fingers. They even have unique hairstyles that move. Since we can blend animations, the variety of their movements goes far beyond what we had in the previous version. They can get pregnant, and it shows. They age, and they can also get fat or fit depending on the activities the player drives them to. It is really fun to see a Sim birthday with the transition from a child to a teen. Not only to see how their features mature, but also just the transformation in general.

TVG: How complex is the character creation and have you added any interesting elements just for fun?

The character creation is extremely versatile. You can create unique Sims by modifying their full facial structure or just specific features, hairstyles, clothing options and even makeup. I think some of the more unique elements of our Sim creation process are that you can create offspring of a Sim and see how their DNA passes along. Since our Sims are family groups, you also get to set their family relationships. This is also where you give your Sim his or her initial personality and aspirations. 

TVG: What new or interesting settings or events are there and what is your fav new inclusion/idea?

My favourite feature that is included in The Sims 2 is the differences in behaviour that come from different personalities. These are a lot of fun to see in the game. Watching a shy Sim, hover about like a wallflower while the outgoing Sim âworks the roomâ is a blast. Iâm also a big fan of the teen experience we have brought to the game. Just watching them dance and have a pizza party really reminds me of my own teenage years.

TVG: Is this the biggest advance yet in The Sims and do you always try to play safe with in game issues and characters /istics? In real life things are a little more ugly.

Yes, this is a real leap from the original Sims in so many ways. Creating believable human characters in our Sims is a pretty huge undertaking. The better they look, the more fidelity players expect of their behaviour. By electing to give our Sims better looks, facial animations, and allowing the player to get closer to them, we needed to advance the AI significantly. And, yes, getting closer and having new animations has forced us to consider the boundaries that we want to maintain as well. 

Thank you Lucy.

As you can see The Sims 2 is looking both interesting and exciting and this new feature list is extensive. An all-new âCreate-A-Simâ feature which allows you to customize the facial features of your Sim with a few simple clicks and players are now able to build dwellings over two stories and have the ability to coordinate and customize the homes of their Sims to a new degree of design with all-new furniture, lighting and objects. The one feature that is making us excited is that the Sims cast can form complex relationships and are able to distinguish between family and friends, platonic friendships and romantic love! There are many more enticing additions. We hope to be back soon for another full lowdown on what to expect!